Adjustments II
by SylphWindDancer
Summary: When Ashera went mad, she committed an action that would forever change Tellius. Families separated by the wars and the Serenes Massacre are reunited, and the countries band together to ensure peace for future generations. But trouble quickly brews across the continent, endangering all life and threatening the peace that lives were given to obtain...
1. Prologue

_**Adjustments: A **__**Fire Emblem**__** Fanfiction**_

_**Prologue**_

**XxXxXxX**

My story? Well, it actually begins long ago. My name is Mihara of Staltone, country of the horse laguz led by Lord Keenan and his mate, Lady Gwenna. I, however, am no horse laguz. Rather, I am of a bird, but I am not like the nearby country of Ailon, with its swan laguz led by Lady Laurel. I am a sort of bird of prey, and instincts tell me I am a hawk. Why I am the only one, I have no idea. Our three intersecting countries, Nylonti being the last with its otter laguz, are not very large and are completely surrounded by water. I grew up here and love it here, despite my own mysterious background, and would do anything to defend it.

**XxXxXxX**

A young woman resting in her bed stretched and yawned, kicking the covers off of her body, which was clad in a nightgown. She ran a hand through her messy black hair that fell to just below her shoulders before running the hand down her face, sighing heavily. It was another early morning that she had woken. She just couldn't sleep lately… She had strange dreams about these two people with dark wings and a large enormous cat with a tiny sparrow on its shoulder. Whatever this dream was, it constantly woke her at least a half hour early from her slumber. Consequently, she couldn't fall asleep again and ended up waking her friend and roommate so that they could start their duties for the day. As she let her bare feet touch the chilled stone floor, she then stretched her deep red wings, which were about nine feet in length. Turning her nearly-glowing golden eyes to the other person in the room that was still asleep, she tiptoed over and shook her lightly. "Aislyn. Come on, it's time to wake up."

The other young woman in the bed grumbled unhappily and flipped over, her dark brown horse ears pinning back against her skull. "Go away, Mihara… I want to sleep for once…"

"You know that Lord Keenan is probably already up and waiting for us," Mihara pointed out, walking back to her dresser, selecting her clothes for the day. "I'm going ahead and changing."

Aislyn heaved a heavy sigh and remained still while Mihara changed her clothes. Though, she still went ahead and sat up in bed, removing her covers, revealing her black horse tail, her dark brown hair, and weary green eyes. Once Mihara called that she was done, Aislyn stood up, her legs a little wobbly at first. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and told Mihara, "Go on ahead. I'll meet you outside."

"Okay. But if you don't show up in ten minutes, I'm coming back to get you," Mihara threatened as she moved out the door, leaving a slightly pouting Aislyn, staring at her bed with despair. Once Mihara closed the door, she moved on down the enormous hallway until she reached the light outside. The sun had barely even peaked over the horizon of the mountains that surrounded the giant valley that was Staltone, with a grand lake in the center. Clad in her light green loose, sleeveless shirt that reached down to just below her waist and her tight-fitting capris that flared out at her shin, emphasizing her sandals that were black and reached up around her ankle securely, Mihara moved out towards the small cliff where the Staltonian palace sat, overlooking the valley. Sitting down at the edge and daring to dangle her feet over the edge, Mihara awaited Aislyn's arrival.

True to her word, the horse laguz was now ready, looking more awake and wearing her usual clothes of a dark green shirt with short sleeves, long jeans, and her black boots. She swished her tail back and forth, giving Mihara a threatening look. "Are you happy? I'm here, and I don't see Lo-"

"You don't see who, Aislyn?" boomed a voice of pure authority. Aislyn yelped, turned, and bowed as Mihara scrambled up to do the same. Before them stood a tall man with grown out black hair that reached into his brown eyes. Atop his head were golden horse ears that constantly moved, always listening for danger. His black tail was very long, nearly touching the ground, even though he was easily six foot three. He was giving the two a stern look before he softened his gaze and even cracked a smile. "Come now, you two. Stand straight. Thank you. Were you both heading out for your morning patrols?"

"Yes, sir," Aislyn replied, her face now straight and serious. Keenan was one man that held her complete respect, and she was an honored laguz to be his right hand woman. Mihara merely gave a silent nod, not quite as formal with him, but still polite and courteous to the man that had taken her in. He had found her in the valley as a baby, only two years old, and brought her in under his wing.

"Very well. Carry on, and I'll see you two at breakfast with the herd." Keenan turned and walked off, heading back towards Gwenna, who was waiting for him back at the entrance.

Aislyn looked back at Mihara and gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Alright. See you in a little bit." With a flash of light brown light, in Aislyn's place then stood a very tall Morgan horse. She nickered and took off down the hill into the valley. Mihara watched her go, and then smirked slightly before running to the cliff and jumping. She soared through the air for just a moment before she was engulfed by a crimson red flash of light. Beating her wings, she raised higher in the sky, now in her full hawk form and much larger. She veered off towards the left side of the valley, leaving the right side to Aislyn. Her sharp eyes were turned towards the ground, looking for any signs of trouble or just anything that was out of place. Many times, there were injured horse laguz in the valley from fights with other men for a woman, and they never received aid until the morning, when either Mihara or Aislyn found them. For the longest time in Staltone, there had been no help given to the laguz who fought for a female, but as of late, many of them had received severe wounds and ended up passing on. With a tiny shudder, it made Mihara happy that she was never the center of a fight like that. After all…she was the only one in the three countries that was a hawk. Some swan men had made passes at her, but nothing too serious.

For her, it was rather lonely. Some days, she didn't mind being the only one, but after being the only one for around twenty-six years…it got tiring. She _did_ long for someone to be with her, but she still wanted someone of her own race. _Forget the whole "beggars can't be choosers" thing... I know that so many people are there for me. They always have been and always will be, but…that still can't fill this void in my heart._

On and on Mihara flew, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. As she reached the far end of the valley thirty minutes later, she turned around and began to head back towards the palace by going down the center of the valley. The palace was simple, yet very nice, looking somewhat like a regular barn. It had four stories, with Keenan and Gwenna residing at the top. The two floors below that were for guests and any who needed safe rest indoors, and the bottom floor held the kitchen, which was only used for guests, and the throne room, as well as other small rooms for idle conversations. To Mihara, it felt like a home she could return to, but it wasn't necessarily the home she was looking for. She wanted to see flapping wings, other birds, and more open sky for her to fly in…something more related to her domain.

She met up with Aislyn at the entrance to the palace once she returned, both having nothing to report to the other or to the Horse Lord. They walked into the palace, only to see that not a soul was inside. Aislyn frowned and muttered, "Maybe we took too long? Were they already out in the valley?"

"I saw them all heading towards the lake," Mihara suddenly recalled, having spotted the large herd moving off in the distance.

Aislyn glared at her and smacked her friend on the hand with her tail, drawing for a protest from Mihara at how it stung. "You didn't think to tell me already? Why didn't you go ahead and meet up with them?"

"Well, I figured that you might not have passed by them, yet, so…" Mihara trailed off. "Oh, whatever. I'll race you to them."

"Again?" Aislyn grinned, walking back outside. "Alright. Let's go on three. One…"

"Two…"

"Three!" they both exclaimed, shifting back into their full forms and shooting off towards the lake. While Mihara may have had the advantage to fly, the horse laguz were the quickest land creatures Mihara had seen. Aislyn was easily able to keep up with the hawk laguz, pushing her legs to run as fast as they could, Mihara flapping her wings to gain even more speed. The ground was a mere blur beneath both of them as they caught up to the herd, which had only been ten minutes into the walk to the lake. Mihara glanced down and saw that Aislyn was actually gaining ground on her. She attempted at speeding up just a little more as they came to the herd, but a breeze suddenly blasted against her, throwing her off-balance. Aislyn raced into the herd before rearing and whinnying with victory. Mihara regained her balance and steadied herself. Turning her gaze down to look at her, she grumbled, _"If that turbulence hadn't hit me, I would've won."_

_ "Maybe next time!" _Aislyn's nickers sounded suspiciously like laughter, and Mihara sighed. From the head of the herd, Mihara saw Keenan turn back to see what had caused the commotion, and once he saw who it was, he merely shook his head and walked on, his proud golden mustang coat gleaming in the morning sun.

The hawk laguz continued to fly above the herd, watching them graze in peace near the shimmering lake. A few of the young ones even ran and jumped in, splashing about and swimming, making games out of it. They ran out and began to play a game of tag, sending water droplets flying around everywhere, but those they hit didn't mind or even hardly notice. Having the foals play was just a way of life. Once more, the slight tinge of jealously wormed its way into Mihara's feelings. Sure, she had grown up playing with the horses, but there was still no one to share the experience of flying with. All of them were too scared to ride on her back in their half forms, but she couldn't carry even the foals in her talons for fear of hurting them. Still…this feeling of emptiness…it hardly ever plagued her this much in a single day. _Maybe I'm just getting a feeling that today won't be eventful, so I'm too busy thinking about other stuff,_ she muttered in her head. There had to be a reason for it, at least.

The day carried on slowly. The herd migrated from the lake to different parts of the valley, grazing, running, resting, chattering idly. Mihara spent a good bit of her day just flying. A few times she landed to rest her wings for a moment and speak with a few of the other laguz. She felt like a real part of their family…but in every family, there were many internal conflicts.

_"…can't even win a simple race," _came a chortle from a nearby colt of a draft breed. He was rather large for his two year old self, filling out nicely with white feathers on his legs near his hooves, contrasting from his dark brown coat, mane, and tail. His brown eyes stared Mihara down with a loathing in his eyes. Indeed, many conflicts came from those who didn't think that a bird belonged in the family of proud equine beasts, but that she should have been given to Lady Laurel, queen of the swan laguz. Still, Keenan stood by his decision to let her remain with the herd, and those who didn't approve were ordered not to bother her. Also, like in large families, there was always at least the one rule-breaker.

Mihara touched down onto the ground, not letting go of her full form. In fact, even though this young colt was very tall, she was still easily a foot taller than him. Her golden eyes pierced his own brown orbs, challenging him. _"Is there something you would like to say to my face, Turent?"_

Turent snorted fiercely from his nostrils, raising his head in defiance. _"Say? Why, no, not at all. After all…my actions speak louder than my words…wouldn't you say?"_ The few other young mares gathered around Turent whinnied in agreement with him, swishing their tails about while gazing at him with fantasizing adoration.

Mihara could've puked at the sight of them. She spread her wings and screeched at Turent, completely spooking the mares. _"Is that a challenge, colt?"_

Turent hadn't even flinched at her actions, but continued staring her down as an acceptance. He turned towards the closest exit to the herd and began to walk. _"Over here."_

Mihara couldn't hardly even wait. She flapped her wings to lift off the ground, ignoring the questioning and slightly panicked look that Aislyn was giving her from a short distance away. Several times, colts challenged Mihara to a fight, but she rarely accepted because she knew that on both sides, there were unfair advantages…though most were on her side. She could easily fly out of reach of attacks and use air currents to her advantage, not to mention fly in the path of the sun to blind whomever she was fighting. _…Something must really be bothering her today. She's not been herself…_

Once they were a safe enough distance from the herd, Mihara flew low to the ground, within easy reach of the colt, who then pawed at the ground with anticipation. In the distance, the ever-watchful eyes of Keenan gazed, wondering why the two were starting a fight with each other. Aislyn approached his side, inquiring, _"…Should I stop them?"_

_ "No, let them be. Turent could use a dosage of humility."_ Keenan couldn't help but chuckle at the sight, remembering times from when he was but a young colt, picking fights to impress the equally young mares.

Aislyn ignored his ending chuckle, but noted on his first short sentence, _"So, you believe there isn't any challenge here?"_

_"None whatsoever. Mihara will show him what it means to fight the sky. After all…it is her realm, not ours."_

Mihara pretended to give off a yawn as she hovered before Turent. _"Any day now would be very much appreciated. I would say that I have places to be, but obviously, that isn't the case. After all, I've been- oh…I've been here, with the herd, all my years…haven't I?"_

Turent's eyes flashed with rage, and he charged without warning towards Mihara. As he was just within reach, he reared, jerking his hooves towards Mihara's wings, hoping to ground her and put her at his mercy. However, before he could even aim, she had dashed to the side and taunted him further by flicking his back with a talon. He screamed with anger and bucked, kicking his back legs out. Mihara carefully dodged those blows, as well, though it came a little closer than his first attack. _"Are you sure you don't want to give up now and spare yourself any embarrassment, Turent?"_

_ "Never!"_ Turent whipped around, trying to keep his prey in his line of sight. He pinned his ears back and snapped his teeth at her, trying to show her how serious he really was.

_"Okayyy."_ Mihara sighed, nearly feeling bad for the young colt. Last time she had really fought, he had probably been too young to remember, or else he may not have challenged her. She flew higher into the air, lining herself up with the sun, dismissing his calls of her being a coward and running. Angling herself just right, she took a deep breath, reminding herself to be careful and not hurt him. She tucked her wings in and dove at him, her talons fully extended. As he saw her rapidly approaching figure, he froze, unsure of what to do. Before he even knew what had happened, Mihara wrapped her talons around his body, securing them under his belly, and lifted him from the ground. It took a lot of effort, because more developed horses were extremely heavy, and she knew she wouldn't be able to hold him for long. Besides, it wasn't helping that he was now thrashing about violently, screaming, trying to break free and let his hooves touch solid ground again. _"Stay still and you won't get hurt,"_ she growled to him, tightening her grip.

Naturally, he didn't remain still. So, Mihara took him towards the lake, since the herd had come back for an evening drink before they went back towards the palace for the night. Once she hovering over at just the right spot, where she knew it was deep enough for him, she released him in one quick motion, the draft horse screaming the whole way down, crashing like thunder onto the water. It took two or three seconds before he broke the surface, gasping for air. As he swam towards the ground he could touch, Keenan was standing there, waiting. His eyes watched Turent pull himself from the water before looking at the Horse Lord with a frightened gaze. _"…What is going on here, Turent?"_

_"M-my Lord…I'm-"_

_ "Sorry, I know. Do you believe it was wise to challenge Mihara?"_

_ "N-…No, My Lord…"_

Keenan snorted quietly and turned his gaze towards Mihara as she landed close to him. She gave him a bow of her head. _"I'm sorry, Lord Keenan."_

_"No apologies necessary, Mihara. I'll deal with young Turent. How about you take a flight and cool off? Xavier was expecting a visit from you soon."_

Mihara paused, taking time to consider his suggestion. As Aislyn trotted near them, trying to analyze the situation, she nodded. _"I'll do that. I could…use the time." _Turning toward Aislyn as she spread her wings, she said, _"I'll be back early tomorrow to help you, as usual."_

_"…Right. See you then."_

Aislyn watched her close friend take off into the air and fly off, towards Nylonti, where the otter laguz lived along a coastline of beaches. She shook her head, but agreed that she could use some time to herself. With a look from Keenan, she cantered off, preparing to scout around the area once more before bed, into the settling darkness.

Mihara flew as fast as she could, wanting to get away from the others. She couldn't help but enjoy the adrenaline rush that fighting gave her, but that wasn't even a fight. She had only wanted to give Turent a little dose of reality, that she wasn't just a weak little bird, but rather, a master of the skies. There was a reason Keenan kept her around, and he needed to realize that. Still…she felt so conflicted about it all. Darkness had claimed the land when she reached the beaches, making it hard to continue flying all the way to the palace, where King Xavier was awaiting her arrival. She touched down on the beach in her half form, deciding to walk the rest of the way. She dragged her feet along the white sand, just out of reach of the waves that came calmly sweeping onto the shoreline. Small nighttime scavengers were out, scurrying about around her, searching for food. She watched them as she walked, her feeling of emptiness increasing. Her eyes caught sight of a spiky conch shell, perfectly formed, lying on the sand without an inhabitant.

She snapped.

Bending down to wrap her fingers around it tightly, she chucked it as hard as she could into the sea, a few hot tears of rage brimming in her eyes. As the shell splashed into the water, Mihara sunk to her knees, the tears spilling over. Her arms hung limply at her side as she sobbed softly, questioning why she had been the only hawk laguz in so many years…why she had been the only one, ever. There had to have been some strange magic involved in it… She looked at the ocean and the rising moon and loosed a strangled cry. "I had to have come from somewhere! I didn't just _appear_! I had to have had parents…! Someone… Someone like me…" Her voice cracked, allowing her to say no more. She couldn't believe how weak she was feeling. She never cried in front of anyone else, never allowed anyone to see her weakness. She tended to try and find the silver lining in what she could, but at the moment, everything looked absolutely grey and bleak to her. She felt lost, not having a true home…not having her own people…or even her own family.

"Now, now…such a lovely young lady shouldn't be crying like this, hmm?"

Jerking with surprise, Mihara turned her head towards the sound of the low, soothing male voice. She saw a young man standing there, the moonlight shining off of his icy blue hair that spiked upwards, giving her a gentle smile. Mihara quickly attempted at drying her tears, flushing with embarrassment. She hadn't thought anyone had been outside near her, but perhaps he heard her yells and thought something was wrong. Taking a closer look at him, she saw that he had two separate colored eyes, his right eye being a magnificent amethyst and his left eye gleaming a bright green. She then could note that he was a laguz, for she spotted his tail and ears that were the same shade as his hair. However, looking at his ears made her freeze. They were not of an otter's ears…they were too triangular… Mihara cleared her throat and inquired, "Who are you?"

"My name is Ranulf, miss. Please tell me…why were you crying?" Ranulf's voice seemed to display genuine concern for her. He didn't take any steps to get closer, though, in case he may frighten her. After all, she didn't know who he was.

Mihara gave a dry laugh. "A number of reasons." Pausing to think, she looked back at him. "Now, really… _Who_ are you?"

Ranulf grinned, seemingly almost cat-like, and gave an approving nod. "The right question, indeed. I am Ranulf of Gallia, right hand to the young Lion King, Skrimir."

If Mihara hadn't been on the sand already, she would have more than likely fallen. The names rushed through her head. Gallia? Lion King? Skrimir? What in the world was he talking about? Just as she was about to ask him questions, he leaned over to be a little closer and suggested, "I think we should be asking a better question here, miss. Who are _you_?"

"Me…? I'm Mihara… A hawk laguz…"

"Now, now. That can't be all to you, can it?" Ranulf narrowed his eyes, becoming more serious. "Mihara…does the name Tibarn mean anything to you?"

"Tibarn…?" she repeated slowly. There _was_ something familiar about it, but she couldn't quite place it. It felt…comforting, in a way. Like it gave her a feeling of safety.

"What about Altiaire?"

The second one was fainter, but still, she had no doubt that she had heard it before. But from where was another question entirely. "What…are they?"

"That's a little harder to explain. First off, let me help you up…and I'll show you." Ranulf extended his left hand to aid her. Hesitantly, she accepted it, letting him use his strength to lift her from the sand. "Would you _like_ me to show you?"

Her mind swam with questions that desired answers, and here was a stranger that might hold some for her. He didn't seem very dangerous, but rather, a gentleman. He appeared to genuinely want to aid her, and she couldn't help but flush a little at his sturdy, warm hand. Not trusting her voice, she nodded. No matter who it came from, she needed to know more about her. She wasn't even questioning why he didn't ask her about her identity as a hawk, seeing as there were none in the three known countries. She'd ask him later.

He gave an approving smile and held tightly onto her head. "Very well." Raising his head upward, he looked towards the starlit sky. "We're ready, Yune."

Mihara barely had time to question the name he had spoken before there was a flash of light and darkness claimed her.

**XxXxXxX**

"**Oh, why…darling…she's just beautiful!"**

"**Just as her mother is."**

"**Oh, but she's got your eyes. Look. Oh, and…how lovely her little stubby wings are… Her color will be similar to…to Trinity's."**

"…**Indeed. They will be, one day. She'll probably be just as strong, too."**

"**Like her father. Darling, what should we name her?"**

"**Well…I was thinking, perhaps…after your grandmother? After all, she helped us so many times during the dark days…"**

"**So…Mihara, then?"**

"**If that's what you would like. It's a lovely name."**

"**You hear that, little one? Mihara…"**

**XxXxXxX**

Mihara groaned lightly as consciousness began to flow through her, erasing away the voices she'd heard in her dream. Now, she heard other hushed voices, whispering amongst her, but she recognized none of them, save for one sounding a little bit like Ranulf's. As she shifted, she could tell that she was lying in a soft bed, a thick comforter draped over her body. Not only that, but she felt rather lightheaded and sort of weak, like she had just run a short marathon. _Did that all…really just happen? I was talking to…to Ranulf, and then…he said…Yune's name…?_ Slowly opening her eyes, Mihara saw a high ceiling, painted a light, sky blue color, giving the room an open feeling. As she turned her head to the side, she noticed that the walls were pained a few shades darker, and gray curtains hung from several windows that were around the room, trying to contain a small portion of light that was trying to flow into the room. After another moment, Ranulf's head showed up in her line of vision, a smirk still on his face, eyes sparkling.

"One would think you've not travelled like that before, Lady Mihara," he said with a sarcastic tone of voice.

"…Where am I?" Mihara croaked through her hoarse throat, not catching that Ranulf had addressed her as "Lady". Too many other things were circulating in her mind to catch every little detail of what was happening at the moment.

"A place called Altiaire," he responded, more gently. "A country of hawk and raven laguz."

His response stunned her into silence as her brain attempted at processing this information. An entire country of laguz like her, and she hadn't ever heard of it?! If there was such a place, it had to be across the waters, further than she'd tried flying before. Making the journey was extremely dangerous, though, and required at least a group of four. But now…she wasn't alone any longer?

"Not very chatty, eh?" another voice commented from behind Ranulf. As he stepped aside, Mihara took a moment to scan over the two people who she hadn't seen until just then. She could tell by their scents that they were hawks. The one she had spotted that spoke was the shorter of the two, his wings a lighter shade than his taller companion.

The only quiet words she caught from the taller one were, "I believe she is overwhelmed."

The trio's continuing dialogue faded from her ears as she focused on their wings. They seemed to light, so beautiful, so soft… She felt like reaching out and touching them, but she doubted her arm would let her…not to mention, she doubted they would just stand there and allow her to do that… But she had to prove to herself that she wasn't imagining their existence.

"…ara. Are you listening?" Ranulf suddenly demanded.

Mihara snapped away from her tiny fantasy and stuttered, still with a croaking sound, "Wh-what?"

He grinned once more with amusement, but with another hidden element. Like…pure happiness. It made her question what was going on. "You still don't believe? Take a listen."

Mihara noticed that Janaff had opened his mouth to add something, but he hesitated in thought, and apparently decided against it, closing his mouth. She then took a moment to listen. She spotted a balcony across the room from the bed she was in, catching that it was open. A light breeze blew in, carrying with it many sounds. She heard faint speech from outdoors, children's laughter, birds chirping, footsteps shuffling about…but most of all, she heard flapping wings. She turned to Ranulf for answers, but before she could even think to say anything, he approached her and offered to help her sit up. She really was rather lightheaded, and her stomach as empty as if she hadn't eaten in several days. "But…if I was…from here, then…why was I…there?"

"It's a long and complicated story," the taller one by the wall voiced first. "Perhaps Tibarn is the only one right now who can answer your questions."

_That name… _Mihara's vision began to swim viciously before her, and her head felt lighter than it had before. She heard a few faint shouts, and before she realized it, she was back down on the bed. Regaining control of herself, she heard someone say, "…doubt! I'd be in shock, too!"

A warm hand touched Mihara's shoulder, Ranulf's voice asking, "Mihara? Are you okay?"

"Well, no…," she managed to choke out. She was beginning to feel more confused than before, to the point of hopelessness. She was getting no answers, only more questions! Or was she still dreaming everything? "I just… I don't understand…!"

"…Janaff. Ulki. Ranulf. Leave me. I'll speak with her," came a low voice of authority. The ones who had been named turned their heads and nodded, Ranulf giving her a look of assurance as he left her side.

The doors closed and the Hawk King himself walked regally across the room, to the side of the bed where Ranulf had just been. Despite the fact that she had just nearly fainted, Mihara studied him as he entered. He was extremely well built, his large wings giving off their own powerful appearance, and his muscular form seemed intimidating, even in his half-beorc form. His face was stern, but once he looked at Mihara, it was replaced with something of a softer nature. Softer was the only way to describe it. "You…are Mihara, correct?"

Not trusting her voice, Mihara gave a slow nod. She attempted at sitting up, but Tibarn shook his head and motioned for her to remain still. "Do you know why you were brought here?" This time, Mihara shook her head decisively. "…I see…"

Silence fell in the large room, nearly driving Mihara crazy. The king of Altiaire was standing before her, apparently the only man with the answers to her questions, and he was barely even speaking! She tried to be patient and suppress the questions she most wanted to ask, thinking that he had to have his own reason for hesitating.

At last, Tibarn nearly whispered, "Mihara…you…do not remember anything, do you?"

This seemed to be an opportune moment to speak, as far as she was concerned. "Re…member? Remember…what?"

The words nearly seemed to catch in the king's throat. "When you were a young one…two years of age…you were stolen away from this country."

Mihara's heart pounded more fiercely now than it ever had before. Her eyes widened with even more confusion and shock, and she had to remind herself how to breathe. "What…what do you mean…?"

Taking a deep breath, he explained slowly, "Your mother had just put you to sleep…and someone snuck inside the castle. He stole you from your crib. Your…father went into a rage, chasing this person down, fighting to get you back, but…he was too late. The abductor had spoken with Ashera – the goddess. He paid a price and had you transported to the country you grew up in."

"H… _How_ could you possibly…know anything like that…?" she muttered softly. "_How_? Is…it true? Is it true? _Is _it?"

Tibarn's eyes narrowed as he struggled internally to choose his next words. Mihara swore that if he took another five minutes to answer, she would…! Well, she couldn't actually physically harm him or anything, but she could sure let her disapproval known! She could-!

"Every word is true, Mihara. I know these things because…I…am…your father."

**XxXxXxX**

**Well, I decided not to ruin how the beginning looked by a starter author's note. We all know the disclaimer: I own nothing of Fire Emblem, its characters, or anything…except for things that you do not recognize, such as the three different laguz, my main character, etc. Bah, I hate sounding official! For all of you that have read Adjustments before, be prepared for entire twists as you have noticed from just the prologue! First, though…I need to give out some credit.**

**Firstly, to Cata-nee. I received your review on the eighteenth of June and it completely inspired me to begin rewriting Adjustments. If not for this review, who knows how much longer everyone else would've been waiting. You are so awesome! (gives a cookie cake)**

**Next, to both Fluffystuff101324 and also to dracomancer6491. Both of you have been very supportive with allowing me to use your characters once more (don't worry, haha…they'll come in earlier!) and for offering ideas, scenarios, and even facts that will help make the story more realistic! Kudos to both of you! (gives brownies)**

**I suppose my sister, Ethereal Thoughts, deserves a bit, too. She sometimes proof-reads my stories and edits it…when either of us remember to email it to the other. =P But she has stuck with the story from the beginning and even gets a little excited (I think) when I tell her that I'm writing more. Thanks, sis! Love ya! (gives ice cream)**

**Okay, enough chattering! I hope you enjoyed the new and improved Adjustments and will look forward to the next chapters! Please drop a review on your way out, and don't forget that I accept suggestions for ideas of things you would like to see in the story!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey, look how quick this came out, huh?! There's hope for me, yet! Here we go again with review replies!**

**dracomancer6491: Enjoy that brownie, because you were the first reviewer! Congratulations! I'm still working on a part for Kyo, but I think he'll how up in chapter…three of four… William is taking a little more planning. But they'll be in soon!**

**Fluffystuff101324: I'm glad you liked the prologue and the horse laguz! There will be plenty of flashbacks from Mihara's childhood with the horses, otters, and swans, to hopefully give more insight to them, as well. You **_**could**_** hug Mihara, but…I'm not sure how she would react. xD**

**Manakete King: I'm happy that you were so excited about seeing this, but good that you didn't completely fall out of the chair. I'll keep the offer in mind for the Assassin! Thanks for reviewing!**

**animeman12: I'm glad you like the prologue! Here is the next chapter, sooner rather than later!**

**Without further ado, you all know that I own nothing of the Fire Emblem games or its characters or its locations or anything that you know is theirs! Annnd…let's go!**

**XxXxXxX**

_**Chapter 1**_

Mihara had listened intently to Tibarn as he continued telling her more details of things she had done to cause trouble as a baby, other things that had happened to her, and the like, only giving her more and more reasons to believe him. Darkness had claimed the land by time he finished; the birds had fallen silent and the children were no longer as loud. When he decided he had said enough, Tibarn took his leave, inviting Mihara to get as much rest as she needed. She was thankful when he didn't try to do anything…fatherly towards her, like kissing her forehead goodnight or something like that. Hearing the door close, she knew she was alone with her thoughts.

She shifted over onto her side and stared at the wall. This entire ordeal was rather frightening. She had always thought of Staltone as her home…or at least, the home she knew… She closed her eyes, trying to relax, but yet another gentle breeze intruded her room, brushing her skin lightly. She slowly opened her eyes and sat up in bed, her lightheadedness beginning to fade a little bit. She would be sure not to push herself. Moving the blankets aside, she swung her bare feet over the edge of her bed, taking notice that she wasn't wearing the clothes she had been earlier. Someone had changed her into a basic, silky nightgown. A flush rushed to her cheeks. Surely it hadn't been one of the guys. Surely…

Mihara tested her weight on her feet, standing up steadily. Seeming okay, she walked over to the open balcony, not realizing how her feet barely seemed to touch the ground. She stepped outside on the balcony, which was not built like a normal one. There were small railings on the right and left of her, but straight ahead were no railings. Perhaps so one could easily land on it without needing to worry about hitting anything? After all, it wasn't too large; maybe only seven feet long and four feet wide, the material seemingly marble. She turned her gaze out to the scenery before her. They were surrounded by rocky mountains on two sides, a touch of sea on another, and a small trail that led out to fields beyond, many miles away. Down below, there were still many active laguz, all speaking happily with each other. Mihara was slightly surprised at how many were ravens. At least, she assumed they were by Tibarn's description. The hawks were fewer in number…much fewer. She wondered why. Were hawks just rarer?

She pondered on that lightly as she turned around, walking back in the room. Though she liked the doors open, she closed them, not quite sure how safe Altiaire was yet. Walking back to the large bed, Mihara passed by the fair-sized dresser with four drawers, a grand mirror sitting atop it. She stopped, examining herself once more, from her feet up. When she met the reflection's eyes, she flinched, turning away. Tibarn's eyes had been like her looking in a mirror earlier…so she must've gotten her eyes from him. Finishing the short journey to the bed, she curled back up under the covers and finally closed her eyes, allowing sleep to claim her.

**XxXxXxX**

Sunshine broke through the curtains, shining itself right on her eyes, making it impossible to sleep anymore. Mihara grumbled, hating being woken up by having light shine on her. Still, she opened her eyes slowly, feeling sufficiently rested. Looking around at her surroundings, she muttered, "So…it wasn't a dream, after all… I'm really here…?"

A light knock came from the other side of the door, rapping a few times before falling silent. Mihara glanced at the door with puzzlement, wondering who it could be so early in the morning. She strode towards the door, turned the knob, and opened it, only to see Janaff, the one who had been the shorter of the two strange men in the room yesterday before being shooed out by Tibarn. He was standing tall, and though he was a little shorter than everyone else Mihara had seen so far, he was still easily inches taller than she was. He gave her a grin that seemed both friendly and approving. "I was just making sure you were awake, Lady Mihara."

Mihara blinked a few times, letting the fact process that he had mixed her name with a proper title that wasn't "Miss". She repeated, "Umm… "_Lady_?""

"Well, you _are_ the king's daughter, aren't you? You don't expect me just to call you, "Hey you", do you?" He rested a hand on his hip, seeming to be waiting on her reply.

"But…I'm not-"

"Through and through, you are. I caught you getting into trouble, myself. Now then, _Lady_ Mihara, His Majesty would like to know if you'd be joining us for breakfast." As Mihara opened her mouth and began to protest again on being called Lady, Janaff clapped his hands together decisively. "Excellent! There is someone coming up now to bring you some clothes that you can change into," he eyed her nightgown pointedly while she blushed lightly, "and she'll show you to the kitchens. See you down there!"

As he walked away, Mihara watched after him, muttering in her mind that this was too weird and too formal for her to handle. Before Janaff even turned out of the hallway, he shared a greeting with a young woman raven, carrying a small stack of neatly folded clothes. As she came up to Mihara, she bowed her head and said, "Good morning, Lady. I've been told by Sir Janaff that you were in need of clothes?"

"Oh, um…yes, I do need some…," she trailed off, not sure what she should say. She stepped out of her way, allowing the raven lady to enter and place the clothes on top of the dresser, just in front of the large mirror. She had black hair that fell no farther than her shoulders, flowing about like feathers. Her green eyes held a kind demeanor about them, only emphasized when she gave Mihara a smile, informing her, "I'll wait outside to escort you to the kitchens, Lady Mihara."

"Thanks…" Mihara paused, waiting for her to share her name.

Closing the door, she replied, "Call me Ginia, Lady."

Standing there for a moment, Mihara nodded to the closed door. Turning back to the dresser, she flipped through the clothes, taking a few minutes to decide what she thought would be comfortable. Thankfully, there were slots in all of them for her wings to fit through, since she had to cut her own back in Staltone. However, in the stack, she saw her own clothes that she wore yesterday, figuring someone must've washed them. Slipping them on, she gathered her thoughts and ran her fingers through her hair to comb it. Deciding she was presentable, she opened the door to join Ginia, who was waiting patiently. With a friendly smile, Ginia inquired, "Are you ready, Lady?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose," Mihara replied, giving a nervous shrug of her shoulders. She relaxed a little bit when Ginia gave her a different smile, one of both understanding and a tinge of sympathy. She began to lead the way, making sure that Mihara was following. The two twisted down the halls, Mihara trying to pay attention while she admired the simplicity, yet the majesty of the castle. The hallways were large enough for a hawk in full form to go flying down comfortably. _It's so enormous…it makes me feel like an ant or even smaller…_

Mihara paid enough attention to know that they were on the main floor by time Ginia held a door open for her, gesturing for her to enter. "Here you are, Lady Mihara."

Keeping her voice low so that those inside couldn't hear her, Mihara insisted, "Please just call me Mihara, Ginia."

Her eyes widened a little bit with shock. "But you're the king's daughter. There's no way I could do that."

Sighing with defeat, Mihara said, "Right… Thanks, Ginia." Gathering her courage, she walked into the room, Ginia taking her leave. Rather than it being the actual kitchen, like everyone had been saying, it was more of a dining room. There was a room-lengthed table sitting in the center of the room, made out of oak, it seemed to be, with a dark polished finish. However, only a few individuals were sitting at the table. There were large open windows all around the room on the right and the far end, where most of the laguz were eating. She spotted Tibarn speaking quietly with Janaff and Ulki, each holding a plate with some food on it, all of it seeming to be meat. They were located on the far side of the room, which forced Mihara to walk by just about everyone, who stared at her for a few seconds with bewildered and analyzing eyes. She forced herself to keep looking at them, but when the trio noticed her presence and glanced at her, her shy nature couldn't help but come forth, and she turned her gaze towards the floor. As she reached them, Ulki silently, in both speech and movement, reached to the other side of him and lifted a plate of food from the sill, handing to her as she whispered a thanks.

It was quiet for a moment, not just between them, but in the entire room. Tibarn looked up at the others, and chattered resumed behind Mihara. He set his plate down, only a few bites left of food left on it, and addressed Mihara. "I trust you slept well?"

"Umm, yeah, I did…" She gave a nod, not entirely sure if he'd heard her quiet response, eyeing the meat with curiosity, trying to figure out what each one was. Deciding it might be better not to know, she lifted one at random and took a small bite, delighted with the taste of it.

"That's good. However, I'm sorry to say that I can't show you around here today, or for a few days, on that matter." Turning back to Janaff and Ulki, he continued with their previous conversation. "As I was about to say, Sanaki has requested the meeting be kept rather simple, so I will fly to Begnion shortly, meet with her, and come back."

"But then…who's accompanying you?" Janaff's eyes narrowed.

"Reyson," was the short reply with a sly grin on Tibarn's features. "After all, he's a part of this, too." He added towards Mihara once more, "I _am_ sorry about it."

Mihara shook her head, almost frantically. "No, no, it's okay. I bet you've got lots of stuff you need to do…as king…"

"Janaff and Ulki will watch you and take you wherever you wish," he assured her, giving them looks that said they had no choice in the matter.

In response to the look, Janaff chuckled sarcastically. "Just like old times, eh?"

Obviously having no memory of hidden jokes that sentence may have held, Mihara watched as a grin passed between the men. Turning her thoughts away from them for a moment, she pondered on who these people were that Tibarn was talking about…

She snapped from her thoughts when she saw the men shift and Janaff extended a polite hand to take her nearly clean plate from her. She had eaten the food rather fast, surprised at how hungry she was. Following Tibarn and Ulki as they left the room, Janaff quickly catching up and walking beside Mihara, she saw the grand glass doors, and practically a glass wall, that stood at the entrance. Obviously, they weren't concerned with an attack, but the wall and doors were very beautiful, giving a clear view of the mountains outside. As they entered the fresh air, a warm gust greeted them, and Mihara took a deep inhale of air. It tasted delicious!

She noted that Tibarn and Ulki seemed to be practically having a silent conversation, sharing different expressions that said things all on their own. They continued walking, a little distance away from the castle, Mihara watching her footing on the rough and rocky ground. When they came to a stop, Tibarn paused for a moment, then shared a glance with Ulki and Janaff, then let his eyes hover on Mihara for an extra second. "I'll be back soon," he promised, his voice soft and gentle.

Mihara gave him a nod, but as he turned back around, stepping away a few steps, a pit began to form in her stomach. Like a little girl that didn't want her daddy to go on a business trip. She didn't say anything as a flash of green light engulfed him. However, she couldn't stop herself from gaping a little bit at Tibarn's size, now a full hawk. His talons were sharp as knives, and his beak was curved to a deadly point. He was easily the size of four of her, and when he opened his wings to take off, they had to be at least nine feet long. It took only a few beats for him to rise high enough in the air to aim himself towards Begnion and give a few more powerful flaps, carrying him forward at a great speed. He was gone in seconds.

Janaff and Ulki turned towards Mihara, both with crossed arms, waiting for her to say something. She looked back at them, blinked a few times, then slowly said, "Should…I…learn the area first…?"

Ulki tilted his head with thought before giving a nod. "I suppose that would be a wise choice."

Janaff gave an approving nod. "She has a point. Okay, then. The last thing we need is to tell Tibarn that within twelve hours, we allowed his long-lost kid to hurt herself from getting lost…"

**XxXxXxX**

Ranulf ran in his cat form as fast as his legs would carry him. Ulki had flown him across the waters until they reached dry land, where Ranulf could take over and return to Gallia as soon as possible. There was no telling what kind of trouble Skrimir could get himself into without him for a few days. For about two hours, he had been within the borders of Gallia's forest, only stopping twice to drink, having sufficiently eaten in Altiaire. Dread began to fill Ranulf as he drew closer and closer to the castle, knowing that, for leaving without warning, Skrimir would be furious with him. Perhaps he would understand when Ranulf ran everything by him, explaining that it had been an emergency. No doubt, Skrimir would demand why Tibarn had chosen him…but Ranulf didn't feel like going into details. _The less people know about my life, the better off everyone is._

He passed by a few laguz as he ran through the forest, hardly any even pausing to look at him. He had a feeling that most knew who he was and knew what his duties contained. Once the castle came into view of Ranulf's eyesight, he began to slow down his pace. Something began tugging at him in his memory. It was so powerful that he stopped running and returned to his half form. He stood in a clearing that he knew very well. Rather, more well than he would like. His eyes turned towards a particular tree, which had three deep gashing claw marks going diagonally across it, right to left. He approached it and touched it lightly, a chill going down his spine. Even after so many years, the tree had not recovered from that. _Not that it's surprising. __**He**__ was a terror…and a bastard._

Looking beyond the tree, he spotted an old building that served as a house once upon a time. He found his feet carrying him towards it, as if his body were moving by a mind of its own. The house had been long taken over by vegetation; the walls were cracked and eroded, a musty smell within despite the open doorway and window openings. The cat laguz walked through with haunting memories flooding through him. However, his sharp nose caught a scent within the house, and it was recent. Puzzled as to who it was, he walked a little further down the small hall and turned to look into a tiny room, which contained an old blanket that had been used as a bed, and a small bookshelf that was rotted and falling apart. In the center of the room stood Lyre, who was observing the room with memories of her own. Turning around, she jumped slightly. "Oh, Ranulf…I'm sorry. Umm…you scared me. What are… What are you doing back here? I didn't think you'd ever come here again…"

Ranulf gave a shrug, as though the memory of the house didn't bother him whatsoever. "Well, I didn't really plan on it. Just thought I'd…drop by and see if it was even still standing." Giving her a more serious gaze, he questioned, "But why are _you_ here?"

Lyre turned back and looked towards the blanket, a glaze in her eyes. "I'm not sure… I had been thinking about this place for a few days now… I suppose I just started thinking that…it's been so long. Since we were kids. Since you lived here. Since…all of what happened." She brought a hand to her eyes and wiped away whatever tears that threatened to fall. "When you were missing…that was probably the hardest time of my life."

Ranulf took a few slow steps towards her, not quite sure what to say. "If it's so painful for you…why do you remember it?"

Lyre suddenly ran at Ranulf and nearly tackled him into a tight hug, her arms locked around his body. She buried her head into his chest. "I'm not sure. Maybe because I'm one of the few who know everything about you…or almost everything, at least. I know that inside, you're as fragile as the rest of us. On the outside, you refuse to let anything stand in your way." She gave off a dry chuckle. "I need to keep you in check."

A gentle smile came to Ranulf's lips as he reached his hand up and patted Lyre on her head. "…Thanks. I know that you and Lethe always have my back."

She released him and took a step back and smiled at him. "Always."

Silence passed between them for a moment before Ranulf cleared his throat and droned, "So…Skrimir-?"

"-is seriously considering cooking your tail!" Lyre giggled a little bit, her face brightening from its depression that was displayed only moments ago. She skipped by him, heading out of the house. "I'd say the sooner you return, the better!"

Grumbling, Ranulf spun on his heel, working on following her. But not before he halted for a second, and only a second, to glance into the room one more time before leaving. For now, the main worry in his mind was whether or not he should go before Skrimir in his full form or not…

**XxXxXxX**

Mihara shared a smile, feeling happier now that she was airborne. Janaff launched himself forward once he decided that they were high enough, and Mihara followed after him, Ulki flying a little lower than them. Turning her head to look, she nearly gasped to see that they were easily fifty feet above the castle, several individuals out and about. She took the time to admire how the castle was laid out. They were directly at the front now, and off to her left was the sea that she could already spot from the air. The trail leading up from it was steep, and obviously much easily to scale if one had wings. The trail led to the front of the castle, because directly on the left of it was a large, bare hill. It extended to behind the castle, but there was much more room in the back than there was on the side. In the space between the castle and the hill behind, there was a large green garden, flowers of all colors visible, but were also beginning to wilt, since it was fall. The garden ended at the right side of the castle, blocked off by a tall wall of wood, vines covering all of it except for the gate to enter. "…It's beautiful."

"Wait till you see it in spring!" Janaff chuckled. "Especially with all the ladies and the dancing…"

"Janaff," was Ulki's short warning.

"Right. Ahem." Janaff cleared his throat and began to tell Mihara of the area, how far the mountains extended, where the plains of grass began, where lakes were, what animals there were to hunt, where the single forest on the large island was, and many other things for her knowledge.

**XxXxXxX**

"My brother, when is Tibarn arriving?" Princess Leanne was strolling through the thick forest with her older brother, humming and singing in the ancient language, which she was now conversing in. She held out a hand to allow a tiny cardinal to land on her finger and chirp in a greeting. Leanne giggled and hummed to it, pleasing it enough to sing along with her. Raising her hand, the bird flew off, just over Prince Reyson's head.

"Soon, my sister. He will be dropping by here to speak with us before he and I head out to Begnion to meet with Sanaki." Reyson watched the cardinal as it flew off, its bright plumage visible for only a few more moments before disappearing into Serenes Forest's canopy. As Leanne sang again, Reyson joined in this time, adding his own alto voice to her soprano, forming an enchanting duet of galdr. Peace and joy had returned to the Serenes Forest, beginning with the end of the war with Ashera. When Rafiel returned home for the first time in so many years, he performed a mystical ritual to revive their father, Lorazieh, from his illness. Since then, he had been healthy enough to move around on his own and even fly again, but not for great distances. It was a struggle at first for the family because Lorazieh had gotten so bad before being healed that he couldn't recognize Leanne and Reyson's faces. It didn't help that they had changed so much. Reyson adapted many hawk-like qualities, easily displayed in his behavior, and Leanne had just grown in general, familiarizing herself with the modern language and seeing the horrors of battles. It all ended well, though, for Lorazieh did remember them after a day or two of recovering.

The forest was also beginning to thrive with the power of herons once more, despite the fact there were only three of them singing daily to strength the forest to its original power. Animals returned in vast amounts, streams and ponds filled with crystal clear water, the trees grew thick and green, and the sun was shining every day above the forest until the needed rain arrived overhead. Glancing upward, Reyson looked towards the angle of the sun, guessing that it was now about midday, and Tibarn should be arriving at any moment. While he was looking away, Leanne stole a glance at him before touching a gentle hand to her stomach. _Oh, my brother…I do not like hiding this from you…but I still can't tell you just quite yet. All in due time, you'll know. I have forgiven him, but I know you still have a little further to go. Tibarn, too. Even though you both know it wasn't his fault…he was bound in blood…_

"Ah, here he comes," said Reyson, spotting Tibarn's large figure in the distance with his own sharp vision. Leanne stopped walking once he said that, turning her own eyes towards the sky to watch Tibarn's quickly-approaching shadow. He grew larger swiftly until he was just above the two, slowing his speed and lowering himself towards the ground. When he was a few feet away from the ground, he reverted back to his half form, allowing his feet to touch the ground. Leanne beamed at Tibarn and ran to give him a hug, practically dwarfed by his tall and broad size. As he returned it, he shared a grin with Reyson, who was giving him a welcoming look. "Hello, Tibarn."

"Hey, you two. How is everything going? Serenes looks great." Tibarn released Leanne and lightly rubbed her head, ruffling her hair slightly.

"Everything is wonderful!" Leanne smiled, her speech growing more fluent by the day. "And Father is healthier than ever as of late. The forest is also growing every time we sing to it."

"Well, that's good. I suppose I'll speak with Lorazieh before we leave, Reyson, if that's alright with you?" Tibarn crossed his arms, glancing around the thick forest with interest, his grin never fading from his face.

"Yes, that's fine with me…" Reyson tilted his head. "Are…you okay, Tibarn?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"I don't think I've seen you this happy in a long while. Did something happen before you left Altiaire?"

Tibarn took a deep breath, wanting to tell them both right then of the news. However, he restrained himself. "…Come with me. I'll tell you when we meet up with Lorazieh."

Exchanging puzzling looks, the sibling herons followed after Tibarn as he began walking. They went on to tell him of news that had happened since they last saw him a many months ago. How the animals were returning by the hundreds, that they had gone through mating season without incident, how Lorazieh was able to fly once more, and that Rafiel may have loved being home, but he still missed the company of the wolf laguz, especially Queen Nailah and Volug. He apparently missed them so much that he had asked Reyson to speak with Sanaki on the new Hatari lands being close to the Serenes border. After all, Sanaki was surrendering part of Begnion to them to begin a new life among the other countries of Tellius, so Rafiel wanted them to be close.

At last, they arrived at the small and humble home of the four herons. They were neither strong nor very skilled in building, so they would have to ask other laguz for help on rebuilding a small palace for the royals in their forest. They entered, where they saw Rafiel and Lorazieh sitting at a small table, discussing things. Seeing his old friend, Lorazieh's dark green eyes lit up, making his aged, yet ever youthful, face seem years younger. His straw blonde hair was held up in a ponytail, though it still reached nearly the floor in length. "Tibarn!" he cried, his voice surprisingly tenor, though it was still smooth and silky. He stood up in welcoming. "My dear friend! It's good to see you!"

"It's great to see you too, Lorazieh." Tibarn walked up to him and shared a gentle hug with the fragile heron king. "I hear you've been mending quite impressively."

"Well, it's all thanks to my children. The more they help restore Serenes to its former beauty and strength, the stronger I grow each day. Even my flight has returned to me." Lorazieh took a seat, offering Tibarn to sit, as well.

Rafiel began to stand to offer his chair, but Tibarn gestured for him to remain seated. "That's quite alright, Rafiel. I'm fine. Besides, I would like you all here so that I may actually tell you something." Tibarn's eyes grew more serious as he turned back towards Lorazieh. "Do you remember my daughter?"

Lorazieh's eyes clouded with distant memories. "Your daughter… Oh, yes. Her name was Mihara, correct? Yes, I remember her. Quite a tiny troublemaker. With wings the color of your late sister. What of her?"

At the mention of Tibarn's sister, he hesitated for a moment. After all, he did miss her and his older brother dearly. Reyson inquired, "Wasn't she stolen?"

"Yes…" Lorazieh frowned slightly. "What's going on, Tibarn?"

"Well…she's returned home." The faint smile returned to Tibarn once more, and to the herons, he seemed to have his own fatherly gleam about him.

All four of the herons' eyes widened with shock. Tibarn's daughter had been missing for almost twenty-six years! After all their own travels across the continent, there had never been so much as a whisper of a hawk laguz around that was out of place, and no laguz ever found one that shared a scent similar to Tibarn's. Rafiel murmured, "How is that possible? Where has she been all this time?"

"Well…that's a much longer story…"

**XxXxXxX**

Mihara said goodnight to Ginia as she had escorted her once more from the kitchen to her room, making sure she wouldn't lose her way. Closing the door, Mihara let loose a heavy sigh as she walked across the room…_her_ room. She made her way to the two glass doors that led out to her balcony and pulled them open, welcoming a nice evening breeze into her room. She had noticed that the wind had hardly stopped all day. Perhaps it was because of the sea, or maybe the mountains. Either way, she found it rather enjoyable. She went out onto the balcony and sat down, dangling her legs over the side, not realizing until then how tired she actually was. She had attempted all day to transform, but had only succeeded in draining her energy. Janaff and Ulki both told her that she was on the right track as they ate dinner, then trusted her with Ginia as they wandered off to do their own things for the rest of the evening. Night had fallen across the land, and Mihara turned her gaze up towards the sky, looking at the moon and the enormous, vast number of stars.

_So…Ulki said he took Ranulf back across the sea so that he could return to Gallia. But…I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to him. And Tibarn…he was headed to the Serenes Forest, they said…. I don't know how long it takes to travel that far…or even how far it really is. From how Janaff described it, it sounds a little like where Lady Laurel and the swans live…_ Looking down at the ground, where activity was still going on in the garden. She spotted Janaff speaking with a female hawk, and she wondered curiously who it was. Deciding to look away, she looked at the shadowy mountains around her. _I guess I can't really deny it anymore… I really __**am**__ here, on Tellius, in a world of birds I didn't think existed… Not only that, but I actually…lived here for two years?_

"It's still…hard to believe," she whispered to herself. Looking back up towards the moon, she stretched out to lie down so she could stare at the sky, her first full day on Tellius at a close.

**XxXxXxX**

**Any thoughts, inputs, suggestions? Feel free to share in a review! Or just tell me how awesome I-err…Mihara is…or…Ranulf or Tibarn…or…**

…

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 2

**And without further ado, here is chapter 2!**

**Fluffystuff101324: I'm glad you like how I portrayed Leanne! I just love her so much! She makes me think of the song Genie sings from Aladdin… "You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend like me!"**

**dracomancer6491: I'm working so hard this time to have the readers connect with the characters more, and display their personal emotions more… Glad you like it! Kyo and William shall be in the next chapter…! Oh, and Jessa too! Be ready for it! (Your bro, too)**

**Manakete King: Yes, Ginia was in the old one, though she didn't have a very large role. I'm trying to give her a little bit more influence this time on Mihara as an older sister type. Hope it'll eventually come across that way, since right now, they're just warming up to each other. Yay! We're awesome?! You're awesome!**

**animeman12: Ah, well, hate to tell you, but this one is a bit of a filler, too. Although, action begins in the next chapter, and it's already almost finished! But don't worry, you can say the original was elementary written…'cause I definitely think it was. xP**

**Thanks to all my reviews! Let's get the ball rolling, shall we?!**

**XxXxXxX**

_**Chapter 2**_

Sanaki ran a hand through her hair, digesting all that Tibarn had shared with her about the return of his daughter from the all-beorc world that had much slower time than they did on Tellius. She gave a nod to him, ever so mature at sixteen years of age. "I…see. Well, that is indeed…strange and…somewhat tricky to comprehend. But I think I understand the majority of it. Thank you for sharing it, King Tibarn."

Nailah, queen of the wolf laguz, gave an interested smirk to Tibarn. "This is quite an event, I think. I sure would like to meet her at some point or another."

Tibarn returned her smirk with a dry look. "Coming from you, that sounds criminal, Queen Nailah."

"Oooh, now, now, King Tibarn. No need to act so uptight," Nailah tsked.

Ignoring them, Sanaki pondered aloud, "So…with her abduction and everything…was there actually more to the Serenes Massacre than Ashnard erasing the herons to get to Lehran's Medallion?"

"Absolutely not," Reyson dismissed. "There is a reason we call it the Mad King's War. Ashnard was a twisted, warped, insane human. He thought that he would be awakening Yune, who would give him invincible powers and help him take over Tellius. The Serenes Massacre was meant to fan the flames of war to help awaken her."

"But what if there was someone undercover? Someone whose purpose was to create more chaos within the bird tribes and…" Sanaki trailed off, unsure of what she was saying. "Oh, I don't know. It just seems strange, even for a goddess that went completely mad."

"What you say makes sense," Nailah told her. "To an extent, at least. It seems strange that she would disappear at the same time as the Serenes Massacre… Maybe Ashera's judgment was clouded because of all the suffering herons? Yune did say once that Ashera loved her…"children.""

Volug, who had been silent just about the entire time off to the side of the room, stepped forward to say slowly, in the modern language, "This is something to…discuss…but should we not talk about what we…first came here to do?"

Nailah turned to her closest subject with a nod. "Yes, you're right. There is plenty of time to question this later."

Sanaki rose from her large chair, her robes falling about her. "Then shall we retreat into a separate room? The rest of you are accompanying, correct?"

Tibarn, Reyson, and Volug all agreed and followed after Sanaki and Nailah as they walked into what appeared to be a large conference room. Upon a large rectangular table lay a map of Tellius that was up to date with Hatari above the desert near Daein and with Phoenicis and Kilvas being replaced with Altiaire's letters. They all took a seat except for the two females, who began to discuss borders for the new Hatari. Reyson relayed Rafiel's message to Nailah, who smiled faintly at it. Sanaki assured her that it was possible for her to surrender those lands for her, since no one lived so close to the Serenes Forest nowadays, not wanting to so much as set foot in the forest. Sure, the herons were under the protection of the Hawk and former Raven Kings, but the haunting memory of the massacre was still in the minds of the people in Begnion.

Tibarn sat in the chair, his arms crossed, barely listening. After all, he was just there to make sure the outcome was satisfactory and that the herons would be able to live with the decision. Seeing that it would probably be a little while before they finished up, Tibarn remained silent and zoned out for a while.

**XxXxXxX**

Zihark loosed a sigh of victory as he climbed the stairs that led up to the main doors of Gallia's castle. Spotting two friendly faces near the top, Zihark waved at Lethe and Lyre, who were standing by each other and speaking softly. What it was, Zihark didn't know and he didn't pry. The sisters caught sight of him and Lyre returned his wave with her own enthusiasm while Lethe just gave him a friendly nod. Once he stood at the top of the stairs, he gave the two a slightly impressed look. "Wow…you're both standing so close to each other…and you aren't fighting. This is quite a day to remember."

Lethe narrowed her deep purple eyes at him and hissed. "Bah! You know that relationships can mend!"

Zihark chuckled and held his hands up in surrender, a smile dancing on his face. "I was just commenting… Anyways, on a more serious note, how have you two been? You look well."

Lyre gave a nod to the beorc, already thinking of things to update him on. "Yes, we've been good. I have, at least. You seem to have been, too, considering you just came through the forest on foot. How has your work been?"

Ever since the end of Ashera's War, Zihark had been travelling across Tellius in an attempt to help laguz steadily become accepted by the general public. His work was cut out for him in Daein and in most parts of Begnion, but at least Crimea was very much so willing to cooperate. He began to inform them on certain situations that he had found himself in, including one in Daein where he still found a laguz in slavery that he needed to take care of. It hadn't been an easy mission, but he had seen it through to the end until he could help escort the laguz back to her family on the outskirts of the desert. As he finished his tale, he could see the visible rage in their eyes, burning from the hatred they had for humans that mistreated laguz. He understood their feelings completely, even though he wasn't a laguz himself. Still, to get their minds off of it, he inquired, "Are King Skrimir and Ranulf about?"

"Yes, they are." Lethe ran a hand through her hair as she heaved a heavy sigh. "We can show you to them."

Zihark raised an eyebrow at Lethe's first action and stepped directly in front of her. "Is something the matter?"

As Lethe gave him a slightly threatening look for being so close to her, Lyre jumped in to explain, "Oh, well…King Skrimir just finished scolding Ranulf…rather harshly. And now I think he's actually listening to Ranulf's side…"

Zihark shook his head a few times, placing a hand on his forehead. "Lyre, dear, I'm not a mind reader… Why is King Skrimir scolding Ranulf?"

As Lethe took a step back from Zihark, she began to walk into the palace. "Ranulf woke up a few days ago, said something about Yune, Tibarn, and took off. He didn't say anything to King Skrimir…I just barely got _that_ much information out of him as he was leaving." She turned around to see if the two were following, which they were. "…Well, come on. I'll show you to them."

"Oh. Right. Sorry." Zihark jerked free from his spot to follow after Lethe, Lyre going after him. The elder sister led him through the halls and up the staircases that led to the audience hall, where a few gruff voices were heard arguing through the cracked doors.

"…your king, I demand that you tell me _why_ it was that Tibarn chose you!" rumbled Skrimir's powerful voice, echoing in the empty hall.

There was a pause before Ranulf's cool voice replied, with an edge of iciness on it. "Skrimir…believe me when I say…the less you know of my past, the better. It isn't something I go parading around to everyone. Only certain people know, and that's because they were involved."

Zihark couldn't help but notice the way that both Lethe and Lyre froze stiff, and the look that Lyre got in her eyes. Now that he took a closer look, her eyes seemed a little red…like she'd been crying earlier in the day. He decided that now wasn't a proper time to ask. He also felt uncomfortable for the fact that they were hearing a private argument, but at the same time, they were careless enough to leave the doors open…

Surprisingly, Skrimir's voice lowered to a more calm level for his response. "…Ranulf. We've all had our fair share of horrible experiences. I am one of the few to have a calm past, and I understand that yours is no happy story. Is there no true reason why you cannot trust me enough to tell me?"

This time, a growl came from Ranulf, one that sounded challenging. "You're better off not-"

"Stop!" Lethe burst into the room, startling all of the other four individuals in her presence. Lethe had seen the tears reemerging in her younger twin's eyes and felt her own deep sadness from being one of the few to bear the burden of knowing what exactly Ranulf had been through. She didn't want this to any farther…for Ranulf's sake, and for Skrimir's. "…I'm sorry, Your Majesty…but Ranulf is right. His past is his business, and for whatever King Tibarn had planned, he felt that Ranulf was the right choice…for whatever reason."

Skrimir took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He looked at Lethe for a moment, sensing her seriousness on the subject, then saw past her and spotted their company. "…Zihark. You are here already."

Zihark stepped forward and gave a bow to the Lion King. "Yes, Your Majesty. I came as quick as I could."

Skrimir shook his head and gestured for Zihark to stand straight. "There is no need for formality between comrades. I am pleased that you are here now and can give me information…I hope."

"Of course. I have many things to tell you…"

Lyre slowly walked up to Ranulf, whose gaze was solid ice and was standing with tightly clenched fists, his eyes staring at nothing in particular. Lyre knew better than to touch him right now, so she whispered, "…Ranulf?"

As if snapping from a trance, Ranulf took a sharp breath and blinked his eyes a few times, the cold fading from them. His fingers unfurled and he looked at Lyre with slight confusion. "Sorry, Lyre, what was that?"

"Are… Are you okay?" she murmured, now touching a hand on his arm, always getting shivers from how warm he was. She had to force herself to remember to not flush when she looked him in the eyes. "You were…pretty upset…"

"Ah, yeah… Don't worry about me." Ranulf placed a hand on top of Lyre's head and rubbed it, messing her hair up and drawing protests forth from her. "I'll be okay."

"Ranulf?" Zihark called. "You might want to listen, too…"

"Right, sorry. I'm listening…"

**XxXxXxX**

**A blast of cold air…clouds…and sand… Where was she?**

**An aching sensation on her right wing… Had someone hurt her? She felt a knot in her throat and hot tears running down her cheeks…**

**A voice yelling… Who was it?**

"_**You know**_** damn**_** well-!"**_

**A knife descended-**

**XxXxXxX**

Mihara awoke with a quiet shriek, gasping for breath. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest, feeling like it was in her throat. She only calmed down when a cooling breeze of air reminded her that it was only a dream…or rather, a nightmare. She'd had that dream before…back in Staltone. Although…it didn't have the same effect as it had over there. She felt like she could see so many new and different shadows hiding within the dream now… _Just calm down. It's okay. It was just a dream… Just a dream, just a dream… Take deep breaths and just calm down._

She sat up, the sunshine warming her face. It was such a beautiful day that she had decided to take a nap out on her balcony. There was plenty of activity going on what with the hawks and ravens flying about, laughing, talking, and playing. She looked around at them, allowing their positive energy to cheer her up from her nightmare. Once she had completely calmed herself, she jumped slightly when Ginia suddenly appeared, flapping her own delicate-looking black wings, a look of concern on her face. "Lady? Are you alright?"

Mihara could've blushed with embarrassment. She had hoped no one had heard her, but then again, laguz did have very refined hearing. She chuckled weakly and gave a shrug. "I'm fine. It was just a dream."

"Dreams can be very important, Lady. Excuse me…," Ginia touched down on the balcony, being careful to not invade in Mihara's personal space, "but would you like to talk about it? Sometimes talking about it helps bad dreams go away or reveals the true purpose in a good dream."

Mihara thought for a moment. She knew that Ginia was only trying to help, but she wasn't one to openly share her personal feelings with those she didn't know very well. Then again, maybe Ginia could be her first friend in Altiaire, since she no longer had Aislyn… _Aislyn. Keenan, Gwenna…how are all of you doing? Have you started to worry? No doubt Xavier informed you all that I never arrived…_

Before she became too sentimental, she nodded at Ginia, and the raven woman took a seat, listening intently. "Well…I'm somewhere with a lot of open sky and lots of sand…so I guess I'm in a desert. I'm injured – my right wing. I'm not…quite sure what kind of injury. I just know that it hurts. There's a man beside me, holding a knife…" Mihara began to hesitant, feeling the terror she had felt in the dream. The kind of terror that made you get chills and have a horrid pit in your stomach…yet, the one of knowing. Knowing you might not make it. "And there's one more man somewhere else…but I can only hear him, not see him. He starts yelling something to the man with the knife…and before he can finish…"

Ginia seemed to understand completely how the ending was by the look on her face and in her eyes. "You were stabbed?"

"Yeah…"

"Well… I won't lie to you and say I understand it, but…it does seem to be something rather serious. Though…I do have _one _question…"

Mihara couldn't help but notice that Ginia's eyes began twinkling with some strange spark of an idea. "What is it…?"

"Were either of them handsome?!"

Ginia received a blank stare in return, though Mihara couldn't help but laugh at her. Not only because of the question itself or the fact that Ginia was trying to cheer her up, but because of her sarcastic seriousness about the question. Ginia smiled in return before pretending to pout. "Wait a second! I was serious!"

"I couldn't see either of their faces!" Mihara exclaimed, still laughing.

"Oh…" Ginia sounded disappointed, but perked up as she thought of another possibility. "Were they very built?!"

…_Yes, I believe Ginia and I will get along just fine._

**XxXxXxX**

"General Geoffrey, I hereby announce that I, Kieran, deputy commander of the Royal Knights, would like to challenge you in a duel!" Kieran roared, pointing a finger towards Geoffrey, determination gleaming in his eyes.

Geoffrey turned away from grooming his horse to face Kieran with a weary gaze. "…Again?"

"Yes, sir! I have been training rigorously day in and day out in order to become strong enough to defeat you!"

"Where _is_ that big lug-?! Oh! Kieran! Crap! Sorry, General…I was headed this way to try and stop him." A young lady of twenty four with her light brown hair pinned up on the back of her head approached the duo in the stables, her slate blue eyes focused right on Kieran. "I told you to stop bugging the General with your crappy challenges!"

"Ah, Sylvia. Good afternoon," Geoffrey greeted the arch sage, setting the horse brush aside. "I don't mind Kieran's challenges. Most of the time, at least. Besides, since there is no war going on, how else would we keep in practice?"

Kieran began to beam like a child who had received a puppy for his birthday. "So you will accept?!"

"On one condition. We ride bareback and use wooden sparring weapons."

Sylvia doubled over, laughing at Kieran's wince of pain, thinking about riding his steed with no saddle. At least he wouldn't need his armor with wooden weapons, even though he was already clad in his suit, axe at the ready. Still, he regained his composure and stood tall. "Very well, sir! I shall go and prepare!"

As the redheaded man rushed off, Geoffrey turned back towards his horse, patting it on its neck. "Sorry. Just one match." The horse snorted in return as it munched happily on its hay, obviously in a state of not wanting to be disturbed. Turning his head to look at Sylvia, who was wiping tears away from the corners of her eyes, he inquired, "Where is Giselle today?"

Sylvia grumbled under her breath and crossed her arms with agitation. "Well, you know how she is. Always running off to do this and that… Earlier, she was talking with Bastian about Yune-knows-what and then she said something about visitors and I haven't seen her in hours." The sage rolled her eyes for emphasis. "Honestly, you would think that since she's the _older_ sister that she would be more responsible!"

Geoffrey chuckled, placing the bit of the bridle between his horse's teeth. "Now, now, you know she's responsible enough. Though…now that I think about it, I believe I heard that Tormod and Muarim were planning a visit to Crimea soon. They were going to stop in here before going to the Greil Mercenaries' fort."

"That would do it!" Sylvia cried, turning to leave. "She's gonna be all ga-ga over Muarim again and be all huggy and smooch and…"

As her voice faded, Geoffrey smiled to himself. He had a feeling that Sylvia was exaggerating, but when it came to Sylvia, you just never knew. He led his horse out to the sparring yard and jumped on, now awaiting Kieran's arrival. He guided his horse to the side of the yard, where the wooden weapons sat, and he claimed a lance for himself. It was a few more minutes before Kieran appeared, atop his trusty steed, a wooden axe in his hand. Geoffrey assumed that he must've grabbed it on his way to take off his body armor. As he positioned his lance in his hand, Kieran roared back towards the stables, "Oscar! You shall be my next victim!"

A laugh came from the green haired man as he emerged to watch the match. "I have no doubt."

"Do not laugh! I am _serious_!"

"As am I, Kieran."

Geoffrey cleared his throat. "Are you quite done, Kieran? Let's begin."

Queen Elincia looked down upon the scene from a balcony above, laughing softly. The event somehow reminded her of a match that had taken place a couple of years ago between her uncle Renning and Geoffrey, when Renning challenged him to reclaim his position as the General of the Crimean Royal Knights. However, the ending of the match had not been for one or the other. The silver-tongued Bastian had fired a gust of wind to knock them both from their horses before fleeing for his life, screaming dramatically. Geoffrey had always been the General in name since then, but Renning still had high authority amongst the knights. He did not mind much, so long as he could protect his precious, only, niece.

Duke Renning appeared behind his niece and glanced past her after putting a greeting hand on her shoulder. A low chuckle came from his throat. "Ah, those two are at it again?"

"Yes, Uncle," Elincia replied, still watching and smiling. "One must admire Kieran's resolve. No matter how badly he is beaten or battered, he just trains more and more. He's so determined."

"Well, there is no other way for soldiers such as us to pass the day aside from training and sparring matches. Once Ashera was defeated, there was no need for armies, and all the countries are at peace and still partially rebuilding. Daein, mostly, since Queen Micaiah was put on the throne. Progress for them has been slow, but very efficient." Renning scratched his chin thoughtfully. "From what I've heard from Bastian and his scouts out in Daein, Queen Micaiah has even been doing a good deal for getting rid of the slums of Nevassa."

Elincia's face brightened at the news. "Truly? Sylvia and Giselle would be happy at the news."

"Ah, yes, they _are_ from Nevassa, aren't they?"

"Yes. We all crossed paths during the war with Daein, and we met once more when they were a part of the Daein Liberation Army. They felt bad in the first war about invading Crimea, but they had good intentions. We became more accustomed with each other, and…well, _somehow_," Elincia giggled, "Sylvia and Kieran became close. I think that Giselle never liked staying still, much. Part of that might be from her assassin training with our army and being on missions with Bastian…"

"She was the other one who saved me, wasn't she?" Renning frowned, trying to remember bits of his past from when he had been poisoned with the feral laguz experiment. Most everything was a blur from those times, but he remembered that Bastian and two other people saved him, one being Volke.

"Yes. Ever since the countries have been at peace, I think she feels rather restless…"

"I see…" Renning glanced around the rest of the balcony, seeming like he was looking for someone. "Where is Lucia today?"

"She's going to escort Tormod and Muarim onto the grounds."

Renning gave an impressed nod, taking a step back. "They're here already? They only notified us…what, two days ago?"

Elincia turned away from the match that was drawing much attention from the other knights, mostly due to Kieran's battle cries and unusually loud shouts of effort, trying to land a blow upon his General. "Yes. I suppose they're very dedicated to their work as laguz affair advisors. There _was_ something he, Tormod, that is, was going to tell me about a recent job and what I could do to help the laguz within Crimea, too."

"That boy may be young, but when it comes to laguz, he knows what he's talking about. He was raised by them, after all. I'm sure he feels like one, in his heart."

"I do wonder sometimes…" Elincia's eyes began to glow with a tinge of sadness. "If he wishes that he'd been born a laguz."

Renning took a deep breath and paused, thinking about her words. After scratching his chin for a moment, he shook his head. "I don't believe he would. If he _had_ been born a laguz, he wouldn't have been able to help as many as he has, being a beorc. He was able to get them out of slavery _because_ he's a beorc, whereas if he were a laguz, he may've been forced into slavery himself."

"…It's such a horrid thing, isn't it?" Queen Crimea glanced over her shoulder to see who was winning the duel, which seemed to be a stalemate at the present moment. "I know that Muarim still carries items he needed during his slavery…to sharpen weapons… He apparently feels uneasy if he doesn't… I don't want to pity him, because I'm sure he wouldn't want it, but…it's been so many years since he was in slavery…but he still can't break away from it completely."

"It isn't pretty, my dear niece. It is far from it." Renning threw an arm around Elincia's shoulders, giving her a comforting squeeze. "Now, let's put on a smile and go greet our friends, yes?"

"…Yes, Uncle. You're right." Elincia began to pull forth a smile, trying to forget what they had just been talking about. It was such a dark and unhappy topic, so she wanted to be able to give Tormod and Muarim support, as well as Zihark, so that they could help end all laguz slavery, even ones that are underground organizations.

Turning their backs on Geoffrey and Kieran's duel, the duo walked through the glimmering halls of the Castle of Crimea, making their way to the entrance hall. Their footsteps echoed loudly about them, hardly any activity going on in the castle. After all, it was such a nice day outside, even the maids and such were out enjoying themselves. Even the guards that usually stood in strict silence were making soft conversation, discussing simple things such as the crops that were being ready to harvest soon and personal events going on in their lives.

Just as they were turning the corner to be at the front doors, they nearly bumped into Lucia, her blue hair now nearly as long as it was before it had been cut by the Ludvek years ago. She gave a smile to Elincia and Renning as Tormod and Muarim turned the corner behind her. "Ah, Your Majesty, Duke Renning. I was just coming to find you two."

"I see that," Renning said, chuckling. "And I also see that our guests have arrived safely and without ruckus."

Tormod crossed his arms and glanced around the area with searching eyes. "Well, yeah, but that's just because we haven't seen G-"

"Muarim!" a female voice cried with joy. All heads turned to see a young woman running towards the green haired tiger laguz, her dark brown hair trailing out behind her, a faint sign of tears of happiness shining in her emerald green eyes. Barely giving him time to prepare to catch her, the young woman jumped, wrapping her arms around Muarim's neck, squeezing him tightly. "It's been too long! You must tell me _everything_! Wait, you aren't hurt, are you?!"

"G-Giselle… I am fine, I assure you." Muarim gave a light cough, holding Giselle tightly around her waist so that she would slip and hit the floor. "Could you…possibly let go so I may hug you properly?"

"No!" Giselle buried her lovely face in Muarim's shoulder, whispering to him, "I missed you too much to let you go now."

This brought a gentle smile to Muarim's lips and he gave Giselle a tighter hug. "…I missed you, too."

Tormod coughed loudly, despite the fact that it didn't disturb them whatsoever. With a bland look on his face, he looked at Elincia, Renning, and Lucia. "…I suppose we can go somewhere else and start discussing things?"

Lucia laughed softly. "Yes, let's do that."

The four walked off quietly, leaving Muarim and Giselle to have a reunion alone.

**XxXxXxX**

Tibarn and Reyson had concluded their business with Sanaki, Nailah, and Volug earlier in the day and decided to thus leave for Serenes Forest once more. Silence was their constant companion for the few hours that it took to fly back. Tibarn's eyes moved the entire time, scanning the land below. It was a hard habit for him to break, but ever since the attack that made him lose his wife, he felt the need to reassure himself that he and Reyson were flying out of range of arrows and magic, and that there was no one below, readying to attack them. As the borderlands of Serenes came into view, Tibarn turned his gaze towards Reyson. "You okay there, Reyson?"

"Hmm?" Reyson shifted his ever pale face to look at the Hawk King. "Yes, I am fine. Why?"

"You aren't usually this quiet," Tibarn commented.

"Neither are you."

"Ah, well… Guess I'm just thinking about stuff. I didn't realize we were so close to Serenes already." Animals jumped below them as they slowly began to descend. "So, will I be leaving you with your family, or-?"

"We shall accompany you back to Altiaire," was Reyson's sudden and quick decision. "Rather, Leanne and I shall. Rafiel will stay with Father while he mends more. I would not feel comfortable letting him fly all that way in one go."

"Understandable. Well, then, will Leanne be ready to go? I'd like to get back as soon as I can."

"Yes, she will. We already talked about it before I left. As soon as she sees us, she will meet us in the air."

With a nod, Tibarn fell into silence once more. As his thoughts began to stray, he wondered how his long-lost daughter was getting along, if Janaff and Ulki were helping her out, and if any of the men had spotted her out yet. A dangerous look flashed in his eyes as he grumbled to himself, _If any of the men so much as look at her the wrong way…_

He had no doubt that after living on a strange island-continent with just laguz that she had learned to take care of herself, but still… She was still his daughter, and he still cared for her, even if he hadn't seen her for over twenty years. It wasn't by choice, after all. He made a mental note to go out to his wife's grave and have a talk with her about Mihara. He believed that she, Zelena, was always watching over him, and would know that her only daughter had returned home, but he felt the need to reassure himself. To make sure that it wasn't a dream, that he hadn't gotten his hopes up once more.

He had been grateful to the wars for this reason. He had no time to stop and dwell on past events, such as the disappearance of his daughter, the loss of his wife and only son, the deaths of his older brother and sister from so long ago, as well as the death of his parents. Tibarn's past was clouded from most, save for his close friends, Janaff and Ulki, and the older hawks that were still alive that had been from those dark days. Perhaps…one day…when Silvan told the tale of the birth of Phoenicis…he would have Mihara go and listen, and help understand the true pride that hawk laguz held.

**XxXxXxX**

**That is the end of chapter 2! I believe that you will all remember Miss Sylvia, who is not mine, and you may remember Giselle's name, though she wasn't in the story. Lo and behold, she is now, and she is also not mine! I hope you'll all grow to love Giselle as much as you all loved Sylvia before!**

**Just as a side note, if any of you out there enjoy drawing, feel free to send in fanart of anyone you may like in the story, and I'll gladly share a link, both in my profile and in the a/n for everyone to see! Just felt like throwing that out there…**

**See you all next chapter (where the action begins)! Please drop a line on your way out!**


	4. Chapter 3

**I apologize for my absence. Once again, we are falling into the horrid cycle of school, work, and college applications, along with marching band! But I write in my spare time, I promise! Here is the result!**

**Animeman12: Yes, action is coming! I was originally going to put it in this one, but because I haven't updated, it will be in the beginning of the next one! I double promise!**

**Fluffystuff101324: Oooh, you know how much I love Sylvia! It wouldn't be the same without her! And I think I will quickly to love Giselle just as much!**

**Without further ado, onward!**

**XxXxXxX**

_**Chapter 3**_

**XxXxXxX ****Flashback**** XxXxXxX**

**Mist ran forward and tackled her brother into a tight hug, tears pouring from her eyes from deep sadness. "Brother! You don't have to do this!" she wailed, squeezing him as tight as she could.**

**A pain came into Ike's chest, knowing how hard this had to be on his baby sister, but he had his mind made up. He placed a surprisingly gentle hand on her shoulder, easing her squeeze ever so slightly. "Mist…this continent, these countries…they've had more than enough of me. Laguz and beorc alike."**

"**You've done nothing but **_**help**_** everyone," she retorted, not letting him go. Horrid memories from the time of Greil's death came washing back to her, and she could only imagine what could possibly happen to her brother should he leave.**

"**I've hurt plenty more than I've helped." Ike's voice was sturdy as he turned to looked at the ever emotionless Soren and Titania, who appeared to be just as upset as Mist was. "Ike…please. I can't lose you, too… Not like Greil," Titania pleaded softly, her voice choking ever so slightly. She cared deeply for the young commander of the Greil Mercenaries, knowing him all his life, seeing him grow up…**

"**Titania…you're now in charge of the Greil Mercenaries until Mist is ready to take over," Ike ordered, not missing a beat. He refused to display how torn he was about leaving, too. If something **_**were**_** to happen to him, he wanted them to remember him for how he was: A strong man.**

"**But-!" the deputy commander began, but held her tongue when Ike gave her a stern gaze that shadowed his late father's. "…Yes, Commander…"**

**Soren took a step forward and reached around Mist to give Ike a squeeze on his shoulder. "...I've put supplies on your ship. It should last you about three weeks, if you ration properly."**

"**Thank you." Ike looked at the three and gave them a faint smile. "I can trust you two to watch over Mist, right?"**

"**Of course," Soren and Titania simultaneously replied.**

**Mist began to break down even more, her entire body now trembling with fear, despair, and overwhelming grief. "Brother…why…? I'll have no one left… Mother is gone…Father is…and now…you… I'll be…all alone…"**

**Ike took Mist by her shoulder and carefully released her grasp on him. He took a knee before her and had her come down, as well. He gazed into her shimmering eyes that were now becoming red from her crying. "No you won't, Mist. You aren't nearly as alone as you think you are."**

"**Broth-!"**

"**I'm sorry, Mist, really, I am. But it's too dangerous for you to come, and I just…feel like I have to do this. If there's another living species or living thing still surviving in the ocean, wondering if they're all that's left in the world…I just need to find them. Give them a second chance." Mist began to avert her eyes, but Ike chided softly, "Hey, look at me. It's okay. Yune will be with me from time to time. I'll be fine."**

"**Mmm…" Mist slowly nodded her head in defeat. "But Ike…just promise me… Promise me you'll come back. Please."**

"**I promise, Mist. I swear to you that I will come back."**

**This brought a faint smile to Mist's lips as she said with her brother, "And we never break our promises."**

**XxXxXxX ****End Flashback**** XxXxXxX**

How many years had it been now? Too many, as far as Mist was concerned. Any single day without her brother nearby was painful enough, but the days melted into months as the months became years. They never had any news from her brother on if he'd found any other life forms or if he'd even been okay. When Yune stopped by, she spoke with Soren and Soren alone. What she wouldn't tell the others, Mist especially, was that when she left to meet up with Ike, he was already gone. The ocean was just such a vast place, she'd never spotted him, even from the air.

Mist stood from her spot on her bed and left her room, which was where she'd spent most of her time nowadays when there wasn't a mission. She'd begun to bury herself in work, trying to distract herself from the departure of Ike. She enjoyed helping Rhys with his small school building, and helping Titania cook, since Oscar had gone back to the Royal Knights. He came home from time to time and even helped with jobs while he was home. While he missed his brothers the most, he still missed the rest of the mercenaries, who were pretty much the rest of his family.

She walked outside, taking a fresh breath of evening air, her eyes beginning to search for anyone nearby. She saw Rolf, just past the wall, firing away with his bow and arrow at targets. As she began to walk towards him, she heard the harsh voice of Shinon say, "That's not close enough! Look at how far away that one was! You need to get better with your speed and shooting multiple arrows in a matter of seconds, twerp!"

"Yes, Master!" Rolf replied, making Shinon both flinch and chuckle.

Deciding not to bother them, Mist stepped back, staying out of their line of sight. Perhaps Rhys was free for a while. His kids were bound to be home by now, leaving the school empty. She walked to the wooden building and entered, smiling when she saw Rhys sitting up at his desk, reading a book. He looked up to see who it was, then smiled back at her, gesturing for her to enter. "Mist, hi! What brings you here?"

"Oh, nothing… Just needed some air. Umm…what are you reading there?" Mist tilted her head, trying to read the title of the book in his hands.

"Well, it's a depressing read, I'll tell you that much… It's a collection of auto-biographical writings from laguz that had been in slavery. It tells about what they went through, everything they had to do, everything they were forced to do… But I feel like if I read it, I'll be able to connect with some laguz more, like Muarim." Rhys set the book down and sighed. "I'm not sure what to say around him. I'm always afraid I'm going to offend him or hurt him without even knowing it. I really don't want that to happen."

Mist took a seat at one of the children's desks. "Yeah, I know what you mean… But Muarim is really kind, like Mordecai." She giggled at things she remembered of Mordecai, whom they had not seen in years, also. When Lethe and Lyre came by once, they told everyone that he had retreated to the woods to enjoy his own time, and that he rarely left the forest. "After all, look at how well he raised Tormod."

"You do have a point there." Rhys chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Well, then, since you came out for air, is there anything in particular you would like to do?"

"Well, I actually kind of wanted to talk about that last mission we did…"

As Mist began to discuss things about it, Rhys could only listen and give her a look of sadness as she did so, wishing that she could be as happy and carefree as she'd been when Greil was still alive and when Ike was still home.

**XxXxXxX**

"I'm thoroughly impressed, Lady Mihara," Janaff said as they lowered themselves to the ground. The two had been sparring for a while, Janaff seeing what all she had taught herself all those years alone as the only hawk laguz. "You're a true warrior, like your parents, aunt, uncles, and grandparents."

"Thanks." Mihara flashed him a quick smile as she stretched her arms and legs. She felt rather sore, not having sparred with another bird laguz before. She was better with attacking than defending, though she could dodge well, so it was only natural that Janaff got multiple hits on her. Ulki remained in the shadows, where he'd been watching the entire time. When she turned her gaze his way, he gave her an approving nod with the faintest ghost of a smirk. He'd probably gotten a kick out of hearing the swears emerge from Janaff as Mihara had forced him to summersault in the air. When Mihara had first transformed, she had been entirely expecting Janaff to be a greater size than her. Rather, it was the other way around, and she was a degree larger than him. When she inquired, Ulki explained that female birds of prey were typically larger than the males were.

"…They've returned," Ulki suddenly said as Mihara and Janaff went to him. Mihara blinked with confusion, wondering what he was talking about.

Janaff turned his eyes towards the darkening sky and began agreeing with Ulki. "Yep, yep, indeed, they're heading this way. They're only a few minutes out."

"What are you two talking about?" Mihara demanded, looking up at the sky and neither seeing nor hearing anything.

"Oh, sorry. I see that Tibarn's returning with Prince Reyson and Princess Leanne, two of the three heron royals. See, Ulki and I have special talents we were born with. He can hear unnaturally far away and I can see pretty far myself." Janaff chuckled and crossed his arms, displaying no modesty.

"The Prince and Princess, huh…?" Mihara turned her thoughts to the other royals she knew, meaning Keenan, Xavier, and Laurel, all three of whom had different reactions from their subjects as far as how formal they were with them. "…How should I act?"

"You're fine as is. There aren't any formalities between us and the herons, but that is a longer story." Ulki turned to head towards the castle. "To sum it up, the herons have been in the care of the hawk tribe and the raven tribe for a very long time now. They are close friends."

"I see…"

"Well, shall we go in and get cleaned up? I, for one, _stink_…," Janaff muttered, trudging towards the castle, Mihara and Ulki following behind.

Once she stepped inside, Mihara was stopped by Ginia, and the two spoke for a few minutes. Mihara had already warmed up to Ginia's presence, determined to make a good friend with her. After all, Ginia was a very kind soul, genuinely concerned for the well-being of others. Even though it'd barely been two days, Mihara noticed that every time she felt like talking with someone, she'd turn her head, and Ginia would be somewhere nearby. At first, Ginia had been a little stiff, not sure of how she should behave around the long-lost princess of Altiaire, but after a little bit, she'd loosened up, though she still addressed Mihara by her title.

When she finished speaking with the raven lady, she made her way to back to her room, hearing the chatter in the halls that the king had returned with the "usual" guests. Closing her door, she made her way to her private bathroom, closing that door tightly. She stripped down and began to run the warm water in her large walk-in shower. Stepping in, she sighed with satisfaction, allowing the water to run over her body and wash away the grime from the day. Altiaire did have its dusty portions, same as practically any other country. She rinsed off until she was sure that she was clean enough before she turned the water off. As she reached for a towel, there was a knock on her bathroom door. Jumping slightly from the echoing knock in the bathroom, Mihara inquired sharply, "Who is it?"

"Sorry, Lady, it's Ginia. I found a dress that I thought you might like to wear for the evening when you dine with His Majesty, His Highness Reyson, and Her Highness Leanne," came Ginia's voice from the other side of the door.

"I'm going to be dining with-? Nevermind." Mihara rubbed the bridge of her nose. Wearing dresses wasn't exactly her style, but she figured that this once, she wouldn't object. This _one_ time. "Okay. Just leave it on my bed. I'll get it."

"Yes, Lady."

As Mihara dried off, she only stepped into her bedroom in her towel once she heard her door close. She examined the dress, deciding that it wasn't that bad. It wasn't too extravagant, but it was still a quite lovely piece of garment. It was a deep red, about the same color as her wings, the opening at the top seeming like it would reveal much of her shoulders. It came down in a curvy V down towards the chest, a golden sash sewn into the hips and the back of the dress, hanging loosely below the waist. The sleeves were not long at all, but reached to about the elbow length before the material became loose and flowy, giving it a hint of elegance. All in all, she figured it wasn't too bad at all. She brought it back into the bathroom with her, grabbing a hairbrush on the way. As she slipped into it, she then ran the brush through her hair, detangling it with a little bit of effort. She thought that she might attempt at braiding her hair, but it would probably just look messy with her layers poking out of it. Deciding to leave it alone, she looked at herself in the large mirror that was de-fogging. The dress didn't fit entirely perfect, since it was slightly too large for her, but it still looked fairly nice. _Still…I'm not making a habit of this…_

She departed from the bathroom and her bedroom, heading down to the dining area, where she heard soft chatter. Janaff, who look a little wet still from his shower, and Ulki stood outside the doors. Upon spotting her, they gestured her in, then followed her in themselves. As Mihara's eyes landed on the heron royals, she had to hold her breath. They were very beautiful, even moreso than the swans! They both had long, gleaming golden hair and bright, entrancing emerald eyes. Their white wings caught the light and seemed to glow. Mihara didn't even know what to say when her eyes landed on not only them, but her father. Thankfully, Tibarn, appearing slightly weary, took care of that for her. "Ah, here she is. Reyson, Leanne…this is my daughter, Mihara. Mihara, this is the heron prince, Reyson, and the princess, Leanne."

Mihara cleared her throat and managed to find her voice, both pairs of green eyes on her, looking over her with interest. "It's, umm…nice to meet you."

Suddenly, Leanne jumped up from her seat and ran to Mihara, her hair flowing behind her, her dress hugging her figure attractively, a smile on her face. She took Mihara's right hand in both of hers, which were incredibly warm. "Hello, Mihara!" she exclaimed with excitement, her voice sounding like music to Mihara's ears, which were accustomed to the harsh voices of the horses. "I am so happy to meet you! You look so lovely!"

Mihara couldn't help but flush lightly at the sudden friendliness and compliment from Leanne. Her shyness began to overtake her when she heard Reyson speak gently, "Sister, peace. You are overwhelming her."

"Oh!" Leanne dropped Mihara's hand as if she'd been shocked. "I'm so sorry!"

"No, no, you're fine, I'm just…not used to suddenly meeting people like this…" Mihara gave her a friendly smile. "If anyone should be sorry, it's me."

"Oh, goodie. Girl bonding. White Prince! How've you been?!" Janaff took a seat boldly next to Reyson, offering a large grin of his own. Ulki rolled his eyes when no one was looking his direction, ashamed that Janaff was five years older than him, and went to Tibarn's side, seeing if he had anything to report to he or Janaff.

Leanne tsked at Janaff, then turned back towards the table. "May I be so bold as to ask that you sit by me, Mihara?"

"Umm, sure, Princess." Mihara followed after her, taking the empty seat beside her.

"Please call me Leanne."

At the smile that the heron gave the hawk, Mihara couldn't help but agree. Tibarn told them that they would have some food coming out soon, but in the meantime, that they should all enjoy each other's company.

**XxXxXxX**

A young man, twenty-four years old, was lying on the ground, his golden eyes staring up at the darkening sky, awaiting the arrival of the stars. It was something of a ritual to him; every night he would wander out to the same spot, lie down, and stare up at the sky. He set his hands behind his head full of slightly grown out brown hair that could actually probably use a trim, but he paid no heed to it. He didn't pay much heed to much of anything when he zoned out and got alone time.

"Bill! Laying out here _again_?" sighed an older male voice. Approaching him was an elder hawk laguz with light brown wings that had once been dark, but had lightened with age. His hair was a fading red, still standing out against his white monk-styled robes, held together with a simple blue sash, and his tawny brown eyes looked at him with some strange fatherly gaze.

"Hmm…? Oh, hey, Gene." The necromancer spellcaster barely cast a glance in his direction before looking back up towards the stars. With a thought, he inquired, "…Where's Jessa?"

"She is preparing." Gene took a seat beside the beorc man he had raised from just a child. "She is determined to leave tonight. Will your spells last long enough?"

"To land in Crimea? Sure. I'm not a kid anymore, Gene. My spells are much stronger than what they had been." William sighed and sat up, upset he had been disturbed. "Jessa has been talking about leaving for a while, though… Will you go with us?"

Gene gave a sad shake of his head. "I have no right to return to Tellius. My darling Hilda died for me in the dark days so that I may escape with my own life… I have missed her all these years and spent most of them on this island once I left Daein's air, reflecting on my sad life." He placed a hand on William's shoulder, giving him an encouraging grin. "I am no longer enthused by youth. I am getting old, yet I remember the rise of King Tibarn into Phoenicis. Though time has changed Tellius, it has not changed me. No, Bill, I will remain here."

William stood and stretched, his muscles showing slightly through his short sleeved white shirt, before dusting off his black boots and brown pants, though there really wasn't anything much on them. He heard whispers around him in the night, only audible to him, not even to Gene, with his still-sharp hawk hearing. He couldn't make out much of what they were saying, but he touched the pendant around his neck for slight comfort. He had had it for as long as he could remember, the sword crossing paths with a feather. He never took it off if he could help it, unless it was to clean it or protect it, though he usually figured there was no safer place than around his neck. "…I see. Well, I suppose I'll go see what all Jessa's doing…"

Gene sighed at William's usual aloofness, but that was how the boy was. It was probably how he always would be. It didn't really bother Gene since he could interpret the beorc anyway, but he still wished that William would speak his mind more. He stood with a little bit of effort, cursing his growing age and weakening body. He followed after William, knowing that he and Jessa would be leaving soon, and he would make sure to see them off. It wasn't like he had anything else to do.

Jessa was shuffling through their small house they all shared on the island, her long blonde hair tied back in a braid, flying around and hitting her shoulders as she turned her head this way and that. She had a tight white shirt that hugged her figure nicely with tan pants that hung over light brown sandals that her feet rested on, a black sash around her waist. Around her neck was swinging a pendant of her own, similar to William's; it had an axe crossing paths with a feathered wing. The color of it was nothing like her own black wings that shone ominously in the candlelight. However, Jessa was no raven laguz. She was a hawk, with strange black wings, but in her full form, her body was a snowy white. Upon hearing the two men walk in, she said, "Mother left to be alone. She doesn't want to see us go. She said it'll make her too sad. Are you ready, William? I've only got to put our canteens in here and I'll be set."

"Canteens?" A light smirk came to William's lips. "You make it sound like we're trekking through the jungles."

"Who knows how long it'll be until we find freshwater again?" Jessa set the two canteens into the sack that was also stuffed with food, drawing the string along the top. "There! All set." Turning her gaze to Gene, she tilted her head slightly. "…Is something wrong, Gene?"

"As always, you know, Jessa. I'm just being sentimental. I've known you both your entire lives, just about…and now you're leaving to go who knows where…" Gene sighed heavily, his mind racing at the dangers that still existed for laguz. The two younger ones would go to the mainland every once in a while, gathering updates on the status of the continent. For the longest time, Jessa had an itch to leave the island she'd always lived on and go discover things new to her knowledge. William, on the other hand, was perfectly content on staying on the island. After all, people didn't take too kindly to individuals who could make pacts and speak with spirits, not to mention perform dark magic.

"We'll be safe, Gene, I promise." Jessa gave him a reassuring smile before she set the sack in William's hand and gave the elder hawk laguz a tight hug.

William stared at the sack in his hands as though it were insanely heavy and an abomination in his possession. Jessa rolled her eyes playfully at him and recovered the sack. "I'll carry it in my talons, you big baby. Now, are you riding or flying?"

"I'll fly. I can keep up with you." William turned back to Gene and paused, unsure of what to do. After all, Gene was the closest thing he had to a fatherly figure and had been a mentor to him for many years. William awkwardly extended a hand to him. "So, umm…thanks and all."

"That's the best you can do?" Jessa chided lightly, walking out of the house to give them a moment alone.

Gene chuckled and shook the hand offered to him. "I didn't expect any more from you, Bill. Just remember everything I've taught you. Be on your toes, and you keep Jessa safe, you hear?"

William gave a nod, though his gaze seemed to betray that he hadn't been entirely listening to every word. Gene knew better, though. When it came to Jessa, William listened to every word, and Gene knew that he would protect the girl with his life. The beorc grabbed his last article of clothing, a torn black cloak with a hawk resting upon the back of the garment. William grabbed his own bag that contained his tomes, slinging it over his shoulder as he headed out after Jessa.

**XxXxXxX**

A middle-aged man with short brown hair stared down at the soldiers under his command. Despite his age, his face and dark brown eyes still displayed youth that he had once had, before wars were fought and comrades were lost. At his side stood his sister, a few years younger than he, with long black hair that reached to her mid-back, held back in a braid, and the same shade of brown eyes. With a gesture to her, he said lowly, "You make better speeches than I."

The woman gave a nod, her eyes burning with anxiety and holding a ferocity in them. Taking a small step forward, she spoke loud enough for the men to hear, but not loud enough to alert everyone within a mile of their presence. "You all know why we're here in Crimea. You all know what we're here to do. Just remember, if you come across any sub-humans…take them captive! Otherwise, let's march forward and finally alert Tellius to our cause and our existence!"

With a battle cry, the mob of both civilians and trained army men raced forward, carrying weapons of their selection. The man stood beside his sister, watching the group run towards the small Crimean village, all tucked in for the night, completely unaware of their arrival. "Well played, Karoline."

"Thank you, my dear Stasik." Karoline gave an evil smirk, her pulse racing with adrenaline. "Shall we join them?"

"Indeed."

**XxXxXxX**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I will work as much as I can to get out the next one soon! THERE WILL BE ACTION, I promise. =P Please drop a review on your way out! See you all at Chapter 4!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Okay, I'll keep this short and sweet…Sorry that it took me sooo stinking long to get this chapter up and running. I would like to give a special thanks to dracomancer6491 for helping me to find my drive again to get this up. Thanks, mi amigo! Without further ado, here you are!**

**XxXxXxX**

_**Chapter 4**_

Keenan stomped his powerful hooves, nickering with anger. For several days now, Mihara had not been seen in any of their three small countries, having mysteriously vanished. According to Xavier, she'd never arrived in Nylonti. The Horses, Otters, and Swans alike had been carrying out numerous searches, attempting to locate her with no luck whatsoever. Aislyn had barely slept since she knew that her closest friend and companion was missing. She had travelled multiple times along the route Mihara would normally take to get to Nylonti, but found no signs of a battle or anything. Not even a dropped feather. There was no other land anywhere nearby, so it wasn't like she flew on by Nylonti and into the ocean. It was suicide, and she definitely wasn't the type.

Yet, here Keenan found himself again, Gwenna and Aislyn at his side, in Nylonti. They were trotting along the beach until Keenan had suddenly stopped, rage overcoming him. Mihara was not the type to leave without saying something to anyone, nor even hint at departing. She loved the other laguz, though there were none others like her. She always had her random days where it hurt her more than others, and some days where it bothered her none whatsoever, but she'd never let it get to her before. He had no theory whatsoever on what had happened to her, and though he would never say it out loud, he was worried. The hawk child was like a daughter to him, as Aislyn was. He had brought her in and raised her, though he knew nothing about her kind. Gwenna had also always tended to her like a mother would naturally, and felt especially attached to her since Gwenna had issues giving birth to a child of her own.

Aislyn looked a Keenan with a sad gaze, saying, "…I don't know what else to do. We've looked absolutely everywhere and there isn't anywhere to hide…"

Keenan kept his gaze directed straight ahead. He had no clue either on where else she could possibly be. This wasn't like her at all. There had always been talk of land past the vast ocean, but none had ever ventured to discover this for themselves. Perhaps she _had_ flown out there…her restlessness had been growing stronger by the years, and now by the days. He knew she loved it here and she loved the people, but she could never erase her feeling of loneliness. Keenan shook his head and looked towards Aislyn. "The only thing we can do at this point is hope she returns safely."

Aislyn averted her eyes as they shimmered with grief. However, she then heard something in the quiet area…a set of dragging footsteps. Her ears twitched and as she turned her head back towards Keenan to inquire if he heard it, she saw he did. His face grew dark as an unfamiliar scent rode on the wind. Nearly at the same moment, they both shifted into their full horse forms and ran towards the sound. They passed through some trees and turned sharply, ready to attack, when they spotted a young man, merely a beorc. Though, he was no beorc that lived among them. His blue eyes were glassy with weariness, and his clothes appeared soaked, tattered, and thoroughly worn. In his right hand was a golden sword that slipped from his grasp. He then collapsed to the ground, his consciousness fading into darkness.

**XxXxXxX**

Mihara sat out in the open, her knees pulled up to her chest, her wings tucked in against her back. Looking up at the sky, she wondered how Staltone, Keenan, Aislyn, and the others were all faring. It still upset her to be away from them, but she had no idea how to get back from where she was located right now. Though she wanted to go back, even if she could, she didn't particularly want to stay. Rather, she wished she could bring them back with her, to show them this new land, and to show them that she _did_ belong somewhere. It was still strange, but she felt so right here. She had left early this morning to go for a flight, and she spotted this grassy area atop a large hill that overlooked the castle. It was peaceful, to say the least. She then heard a set of flapping wings approaching her, and she wasn't exactly sure who to expect. At the moment, it could've been any number of individuals. As they grew closer, she tilted her head about to see who it was and spotted white wings and long blonde hair. As the feet touched the ground near her, Mihara was slightly surprised to see that it was Prince Reyson, rather than his sister, who she was more expecting. His entrancing green eyes looked into her own as he inquired, "…May I sit with you?"

"…Sure," she replied, looking back down the hill towards the castle. She didn't flinch as Reyson came up beside her and sat on the grass. She stole a quick glance at him and admired how smooth and untangled his hair remained after being tossed about in the wind. Her own hair knotted rather easily and she tried keeping it braided as she flew. When he turned his head, noticing her stare, she turned away with a light flush on her cheeks. "Is there…anything wrong?" She hoped by asking something, he would soon forget she was looking at him.

"No. I just thought I'd come and talk with you. We did not really get much time yesterday to speak, my sister was all over you." He chuckled, a grin coming to his lips. "She was excited to meet you. We've heard much of you." Mihara found this odd, since she hadn't been in Altiaire long, and especially since Tibarn hadn't been around her very much. "We heard of you from him and my father a long time ago, before you…went missing."

Now came her time to ask without feeling like she would hurt someone's feelings, namely Tibarn. As Mihara had wandered the halls of the castle, she stumbled across a magnificent painting of Tibarn, herself, her mother, and her younger brother. When she asked Ulki about it, she saw the sadness seep into the silent man's eyes. All he said was that they were both gone. Naturally, she wanted to ask what had happened, but figured she'd leave the question alone for now. She sat by the painting for a while, gazing at the faces of her mother and brother. Even at the tiny age she had been when it was painted, Mihara could see that she looked like her mother in the face, even if her hair and eyes matched that of her father. "What all have you heard?"

A chuckle emanated from Reyson's throat, which Mihara had to turn her head again to look at him with intrigue. "That you were apparently quite the troublemaker. Janaff told me many stories of finding you getting into trouble, but also of how rarely you left Tibarn's side. Tibarn himself told me that you were more like a heron in some ways, that you wouldn't go to sleep until your mother sang to you…" Reyson gazed off into the distance, as if reliving something. He quickly snapped out of it and smiled again, looking at Mihara. "That sometimes, you would wake them up in the morning trying to imitate your mother's singing."

Something about this hit Mihara in the chest. She had a melody in her head that she had always known and had even dreamed about. Was that her mother's doing? That was her mother's song? Reyson looked concerned and said, "Forgive me. I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's nothing like that… I was just thinking…" Mihara pondered for a minute, then began to hum something. At first, it was distant, not quite coming to her, but she remembered how the melody went, and hummed it louder. Reyson fell silent, listening to it. It sounded similar to a gladr, but there were obvious differences to it. Mihara didn't hum the entire thing, but stopped once she felt satisfied that she recalled it properly. "I think that was it." After a moment of silence, she laughed sheepishly and told him, "Sorry. I'm just, umm… Not accustomed to interacting with new people."

With a shake of his head, Reyson assured her it was fine. He glanced back towards the castle before standing, offering a hand to Mihara. "Shall we head back? I'm sure Tibarn is looking for you. He was quite anxious to return."

Mihara blushed once more as she accepted his hand, standing beside him, slightly surprised that he was a few solid inches taller than she was. At the same time, though he looked frail and fragile, his hand was sturdy and supporting. He gave a gesture, signaling that he would fall in behind her. To this, Mihara smirked, ran for the edge of the hill, and jumped, soaring into the air. She heard Reyson take off right behind her, his wingbeats strong. For a moment, Mihara just glided, riding along on the currents of air. She looked below her and saw that Reyson had caught up to her and was flying rather close, keeping the rhythm of his wings in tempo with her own so that they wouldn't collide. She gave a stronger flap and increased her speed, as if wanting to turn it into a race. Reyson chuckled and sped up as well, determined to keep up with her.

They landed at the entrance to the castle, Mihara's feet touching the ground just before Reyson's. They both shared a laugh at their moment of childishness, then made a move to head inside.

**XxXxXxX**

William and Jessa nearly heaved sighs of relief as their feet touched the ground after many hours of flying. Both felt rather fatigued, but kept their guard up as they looked around the dark village they had landed in. Thankfully, it appeared that all the beorc were asleep and tucked in for the night. Jessa glanced around with obvious excitement. "I wonder where exactly we are. How far is it to the other hawks, do you think?"

William tensed before giving a shrug of his shoulders. "We should probably press on and camp outside of this place. There's no telling if these people are friendly towards laguz or not."

"Mmm…I suppose you're right. Well, come on, then!" She took his hand and pulled him along a few feet before dropping his hand, seeing he was following. She kept the smile on her face, though she could feel like something was wrong. The air was still, seemingly feeling like something ominous was hanging about. It didn't appear like William felt it, so she felt no need to alarm him. The village was rather small and quaint, but seemed peaceful enough. Perhaps it was just her imagination.

Suddenly, William snatched her hand and stood fast, stopping her in her tracks. With a pondering look, he answered it with, "Wait."

She could see that he was listening, so she remained silent and still. Not but a few seconds later, a woman's scream pierced through the air before falling drastically short. Jessa's heart pounded in her chest and she squeezed William's hand. Chaos broke in the quiet villages. Torches were suddenly lit, lighting up the area, and William saw them: soldiers rushing into the villages, waving weapons in the air, screaming for blood. There were explosions of fireballs cast from mages aimed at the village, some coming near the two. William's adrenaline kicked him into gear, keeping a death grip on Jessa's hand as he turned a different direction from the soldiers and began to run. The fireballs came closer and closer to them, as if they were aiming for them in specific. The villagers emerged from their houses, bearing weapons of their own, obviously confused but knowing they were under attack. Then, William heard a call of, "Hey! There's a sub-human over there!"

Jessa forced herself not to look back at whoever had shouted that, and William nearly trembled with rage. That name directed at Jessa made him want to stop and go after whoever the culprit was, but now wasn't the time. He glanced back just for a split second, but once he turned back around, he crashed into something that sent him and Jessa falling back to the ground, landing harshly on their rumps. William looked up and saw nothing but a large shadow for a moment, but a quicker and closer look showed that it was a laguz. A dragon. This particular dragon had a purple chest while all his other features remained quite intimidating from his claws to his teeth. William froze, unsure of what to do. If this dragon was on the side of the soldiers, he could fry them in an instant without even trying. Jessa slowly stood and said, "…You are a laguz, correct? Please…let us pass."

The dragon opened his jaws and roared ferociously at them, obviously saying no. He then inhaled air deeply. Knowing what he was about to do, William shouted, "Move!"

The two dodged his flames in separate directions, both rolling on the ground and jumping to their feet. Jessa was about to shift into her full form when she felt someone restrain her from behind, pinning her arms behind her back. With a quick glance, she saw it was a soldier, and her stomach dropped. Struggling against them, she cried out in both pain and protest. William saw this from across the dragon's flames, and he felt his blood boil. "Let go of her!" he snapped, beginning to run towards them, overpowering the man's call of, "Boss, I got one!"

The large shadow moved between William and Jessa, and he glared up at the dragon, now not caring how large and powerful the beast was. "Get out of my way," he growled.

"_William_!" Jessa shrieked, the soldier beginning to drag her away. William moved to the side just in time to see her get hit over the back of her head and fall limp in the soldier's grasp.

"Jessa!" He began to try and run past the dragon, but he felt its strong claws wrap around his entire form. He was then sailing through the air before crashing into a house, knocking every bit of wind out of him. The pain didn't register for another few seconds as he coughed and struggled to maintain consciousness. He sucked in as much air as he could, resting on his hands and knees. "Jessa…"

Heavy footsteps approached him, and he tilted his head up just in time to see the dragon, seemingly a smirk on his face. The laguz raised a claw, ready to slice the young man open and let him die, but a feminine voice called, "Kyo. That's enough. We're leaving. We got what we came for."

The laguz growled in protest, but lowered his claws before flapping his wings, sending dust flying about, stinging William's eyes painfully. Around him, the fires grew large, being given more oxygen by the flaps of the dragon's wings. William took all of his strength and stood, his heavy eyes searching for the woman. "Jessa… No…"

It was too late. She was gone.

**XxXxXxX**

As Mihara rose the next morning, she felt uneasy, but wasn't sure why. She had spent the majority of the day before with Tibarn, flying around the kingdom, meeting more people (much to her discomfort), and getting to know him. Granted, it was rather nice, getting to know her father. When they had returned, she spent the rest of the evening with Leanne and Ginia, the two getting along swimmingly and trying to help make Mihara feel more at home. They were both trying their best, so Mihara figured she'd try and work harder for them, if no one else. She had learned a lot about the two young women last night through their stories. Ginia had only an older sister left in her family, and her sister was expecting a child. She did not live within the castle with her mate, but instead further out of its boundaries. Leanne's story was much more dark, but it was nice to see them opening up to her. Mihara told them of Staltone, of the other laguz that had raised her. Leanne and Ginia listened intently, like young children, curious about this whole other world than the one they knew. "A place without war…that sounds like paradise to me," Leanne had commented sadly.

Preparing herself for the day, Mihara left her room and met the others for breakfast. There was much chatter and several conversations, but she couldn't help but notice that Tibarn seemed tense like she was. She found that she couldn't concentrate on the words that were being spoke to her, so she soon excused herself, making for the outdoors. She couldn't shake this feeling, but she didn't know what else she could do but fly. Before she left, she saw Ulki approach her, his face as questioning as he needed to express. "I just need to go out for a while," she explained. "I'll be back later."

"So that His Majesty will not worry, would you mind taking someone with you?"

Sensing it was more of a statement than a request, Mihara nodded. She thought at first that he meant himself, but he told her to wait there for a moment and walked back inside. True to her word, she remained there on the front steps of the castle, greeting people in return as they did to her while they walked by. Only a few minutes passed when someone's hand gently touched her shoulder, causing her to jump ever so slightly. Turning to see who would be accompanying her, she saw none other than the heron prince. Feeling like there was an ulterior motive, she at first said nothing, but at his friendly smile, she felt more at ease.

She took to the air, knowing Reyson was following along behind her. Deciding to go somewhere she hadn't been yet, she turned south, letting the wind carry her for a long while. She saw that there were many scattered houses down below, figuring that everyone just preferred their own space. She couldn't blame them. Glancing back at Reyson, she was slightly glad that he hadn't asked on why she'd wanted to fly away from the others today. Perhaps he just figured she was curious about her country and wanted to explore it more. Whatever his thoughts, Mihara wouldn't ponder on it.

She wasn't sure how long they flew before the landscape became more rocky and jagged, a strong contrast from the luscious green by the palace. Amidst the rocks, she spotted a small village, seemingly abandoned. Curiosity overcame her, and she began to fly lower until she landed just outside of it. Once Reyson touched down behind her, he asked, "Are you wanting to rest?"

"I just thought I'd see what all was here," she clarified, walking cautiously towards the village. Thus far, she had met no intimidating or threatening laguz or beorc, but that didn't mean they didn't exist in the country. It was quiet in the area…almost too quiet. As she peered into the hut-like homes, she saw that they were covered in dust and dirt. She took note that Reyson remained close to her, as if feeling uneasy.

"Trinity?"

At the sudden speech that came from neither of the two, they both jerked and spun about on their heels, facing the source of the voice. It was an elder hawk, his feathery, graying light lavender hair blowing about in the gentle breeze, his light gray eyes looking towards Mihara with severe confusion. Seeing her face, he chuckled at himself and his mistake, he ran a hand down his face. "My apologies. I mistook you for someone else. Is there anything I may help you two with?"

"What is this place, sir?" Reyson asked him with a respectful tone.

"The old and crumbling remnants of a village called Aseria." His eyes never looked away from Mihara's figure. She squirmed uncomfortably under his stare and he apologized. "I'm sorry. You just…look so much like someone I used to know. But where are my manners? My name is Silvan." He took a momentary closer look at Reyson. "White wings…you are of heron royalty?"

"Yes. I am Prince Reyson."

Mihara paused, not sure of how to address herself. She _was_ the daughter of the Hawk King, but she didn't feel like a princess or any type of successor, even if everyone in the castle called her "Lady." She decided on a more formal style of introduction. "I am Mihara, daughter of Tibarn."

Silvan froze entirely, his eyes wide. He gave a dry laugh and shook his head, turning his back on them. "I knew it. After so many years alone, I not only think for a moment I see Trinity, but I hear that Tibarn's girl is alive…"

"I _am_ Tibarn's daughter," Mihara insisted. "I _am_ alive. I was never dead. It's…a long story."

The elder hawk man twisted his head about to look at them, as if analyzing and assuring himself that they weren't ghosts or spirits. He turned back to them and gave a single nod. "Very well… I will not ask – I have enough stories in my repertoire. Is there any particular reason you have come? If Tibarn sent you, tell him I'll be back at the castle in a few months."

"No, he didn't send us…" Reyson gave a small shrug of his shoulders. "Actually, we were just flying and thought we'd see if anyone still lived here."

"Ah." Silvan looked around their surroundings, obviously reminiscing of better times. "Yes, I am the only one who remains here now. I get company here and there. Everyone else has moved on from this horrid place."

Mihara took a step closer to the man, something she was itching to know. "Sir, if I might ask…who is this Trinity woman I remind you of?"

Silence fell, leaving the only sound to be a whisper in the wind. Silvan's expression fell, and Mihara was surprised to hear Reyson's soft voice answer her, "Tibarn's older sister." When the young laguz woman looked back at Reyson, he gave an affirming look that she had heard what she'd thought. "You _do_ look like her, especially with your wings. She had a unique shade of red, from what I've seen. There are pictures of her in the castle, somewhere…"

Mihara didn't have to ask any further. From his tone, Trinity had obviously passed on. Not wanting to pry any further into that topic for the time being, she asked instead, "So why is this place abandoned?"

Something new sparkled in the old man's eyes, a type of youthful fire. "That…is something you will be told later. See, I am the storyteller of the hawks, and every once in a while, I travel to the castle to tell my tales to the young ones. I was just there not too long ago, so you must be sure to catch me in a few months, when I return. There are long stories, so I only repeat them every so often."

Disappointed took hold of Mihara, but she supposed she couldn't help him. If he had a routine, who was she to break it? It could wait. Silvan then invited them into his home for a short while, which they accepted graciously. He answered smaller questions that either of them had, though most came from Mihara. How did he know Tibarn? They were old comrades. Why did he live so far away from any other laguz? Personal reasons. Mihara also learned that not only did Tibarn once have an elder sister, he had also had an older, middle brother named Tristan. Learning this only made her more curious – what happened to her aunt and uncle? She also wanted to know what happened to her mother and brother, but that could wait for a more appropriate time.

Mihara hadn't realized how long they had stayed until the sun was high in the sky and Silvan advised that they be on their way. As they bid him a momentary farewell, he assured them he would see them sooner than they thought. Deciding to head back towards the castle, it was rather quiet at first. Mihara then inquired, "Not to seem rude, but…how old are you? You seem like you're my age, but you're obviously older…"

Reyson smiled gently at this and chuckled. "I take no offense. Herons live up to near a thousand years, like the dragon laguz do." Mihara nearly gawked at hearing about dragons, but made a note to ask later. "I _am_ older than you. I am…only about seventy."

Mihara laughed at his pause, obviously calculating in his head. "You look good for seventy."

"Well, thank you." As his green eyes flashed at her, she felt her cheeks heat up once more. She didn't know what it was, but every time the heron prince looked at her, her heart skipped a beat. Of course he was handsome and elegant, but his eyes just _captured_ her. It was _very_ odd, as far as she was concerned. He just seemed…somewhat mysterious. He didn't speak too much, but he spoke enough, whether with words or not.

The rest of the flight back contained small talk, though Mihara didn't chime in as much. Reyson took note of this and slowed down his comments more and more, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable. When they came to the castle, they were greeted by Janaff and Ulki, who asked them how their flight was. Giving them some details, when Silvan's name was mentioned, both of the older hawks tensed a little bit, but gave nods of approval. Janaff assured them both that his stories were something to hear.

Tibarn spotted the group as he spoke with a few others, looking at them with curiosity. Once he saw that it had been Reyson that had accompanied Mihara on her flight out to explore Altiaire, he sent a suspicious glare in Janaff and Ulki's general direction. He had the feeling that these two, mostly Janaff, was trying to play matchmaker. With a sigh and a single shake of his head, he made a mental note to speak with them later.

**XxXxXxX**

"Keenan!" Gwenna called, running swiftly on her two legs to her mate, at a loss of breath. Keenan turned to her with a look of concern, his eyes checking to see if she was harmed. "I am fine. But the beorc man…he is awake."

"…I shall go to him at once." Keenan planted a quick, affectionate kiss on Gwenna's cheek, then told her to wait elsewhere. He wasn't sure if this strange man was a threat or not, and if he was, he would squash him then and there with Gwenna far out of harm's way. As he came to the door where the man had been taken to and cared for, Aislyn met up with him. Already knowing what she wanted, he snapped, "No."

"Please, My Lord… I just have a feeling that he may know something about Mihara." Keenan could easily hear the desperation in her voice and felt a twinge of sympathy. True, he missed Mihara as well, but he didn't want to cling to a false hope.

"My answer is final."

Aislyn's gaze turned to stone. "I am going in."

Keenan gave her a threatening look of his own and he could see she was fighting to not avert her eyes out of both respect and fear. At the same time, he saw the resolve she had. With a heavy sigh, he grumbled, "Fine. But remain quiet."

As if already obeying, Aislyn gave a silent not of her head. Following Keenan inside, she closed the door behind her and let her eyes adjust to the fairly dark room, with only a small lantern casting light inside. The blue haired man was sitting up in bed, his feet over the edge and resting on the floor. He appeared weary, though better than when he was found. Aislyn noted the scars on his body, yet what great physical form he was in, for a beorc, that is. She remained by the door as Keenan took a few more steps closer. "Who are you?"

"Ike," was his short, hoarse response. It sounded as if either he had not had water in days or that he hadn't spoken in just as long to anyone else.

"Where have you come from?"

Ike cleared his throat, struggling to keep his airway clear. "A land across the sea."

This piece of information startled both of the horses. Keenan's ears pinned back ever so slightly. "You lie. There is no land."

"There is," Ike insisted. "It's a continent called Tellius. Both beorc and laguz live there, many of both kinds. There are different laguz, though." Seeing the inquisitive look on Keenan's face, he continued. "Cats, tigers, lions…Dragons, ravens, hawks, and herons."

Knowing Ike would have no knowledge of their small island, Keenan soaked this in before informing him, "We are inhabited by horses, otters, and swans. Beorc are few and far between." Silence fell in the room while both sides thought of what to ask next. Both Keenan and Aislyn felt a kindle of hope within them; if there really was another land mass, perhaps Mihara somehow found her way to it? "…Why have you come here?"

Ike raised his head for his eyes to match against the Horse Lord. "To offer you a choice."

**XxXxXxX**

**I hope that it was at least somewhat satisfactory to those of you who have waited so (im)patiently for this! With any luck, I'll be writing more for this in the very near future. As in, the next couple hours…! I will try my hardest to not keep you all waiting so long next time. Hope you enjoyed! Drop a line on the way out!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hello again, everyone! Bet you didn't plan on seeing me again so soon, did you? Thank the caffeine provided by the Cherry Lemon Sun Drop I've been drinking and the ice cream drowned in Hershey Syrup I've been eating. And the momentary lack of homework. Hallelujah! Here is chapter five!**

**XxXxXxX**

_**Chapter 5**_

Ranulf walked towards Skrimir's room, where he had been summoned to speak in private. He gave a stretch and a yawn before he headed inside, wondering what was so important that it had to be so early in the morning. He gave two short knocks on Skrimir's door before being told to enter. Walking in and shutting the door behind him, Ranulf said, "You called for me?"

"Yes. I'm sorry for waking you so early." Skrimir was standing off in the far side of his room, near a window that overlooked his forest. "I have something I need you to help with." He glanced back at the cat laguz to make sure he was listening carefully. "A messenger arrived late last night with word that one of Crimea's villages was attacked two days ago. A dragon laguz was involved, alongside with a number of beorc."

Ranulf frowned with confusion. "A dragon? I didn't think anyone would dare oppose King Kurthnaga."

"There are the rare few dragons that reside outside of Goldoa's regions for the simple reason of not agreeing with the idea of them remaining detached from the rest of Tellius. Or they are just too attracted to violence. Either way…" Skirmir crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, now fully facing Ranulf with a grim expression. "Queen Elincia has requested that we send some aid, just in case this dragon should return. I have decided to agree and help her, though I would like you to conduct an investigation of your own."

"Without being discovered, I assume?" Ranulf ran a hand through his hair and shrugged, a light smirk on his lips. "Sure thing. When should I leave and who am I taking?"

"There is another matter as to that…" Skrimir raised an eyebrow. "I will send Lethe with you, but there are three others that shall be accompanying you."

"And they would be-?"

"Awaiting you in the main hall. They leave as soon as you're ready."

Judging by Skrimir's tone, Ranulf assumed that the conversation was over. With a quick bow of respect, Ranulf excused himself from the room and shut the door behind him once more. Lethe was usually his partner in matters such as this, but he couldn't place who the other three would be. He could only be suspicious, considering Skrimir didn't tell him directly. He decided to go back to his room for a minute and grab his few items he travelled with before heading down to the main hall. He spotted three sets of bird wings and chuckled in his throat. There was Janaff chatting rather loudly with Mihara and Ulki, both seeming like they were merely amusing him by listening. He spotted Lethe nearby the trio, looking slightly awkward and not engaging in conversation. "Well, this is a surprise. What brings you all here?"

Janaff gave a wave of his hand and answered with, "Well, we were accompanying Reyson and Leanne home and Tibarn sent us on over to see what all was going on! He apparently already heard about Crimea's little…predicament yesterday, so he asked us to come check things out."

"He didn't want to come?"

"Eh, something else came up." Janaff shrugged. "Well, are you ready?"

"Sure." Ranulf mingled with them before they all walked through the doors and into the fresh air. "Oh, Lethe, Mihara, have you two been acquaintanced yet?"

They both nodded silently. Ranulf wondered if something had gone wrong, noticing the two seemed rather tense. Ulki, surprisingly, gave a chortle of his own. "Lady Mihara is just a bit overwhelmed."

"I am not-!" she instantly protested with a hint of fluster. "I was just…surprised that we were asked to go along… Rather, just me… I mean…"

"Hey, at least be happy that His Majesty isn't coddling you and keeping you locked up in the castle like a beorc princess," Janaff pointed out with a grin. "He's seen you in spars with us. He figures you can fight well enough for yourself."

"Shouldn't we be going?" Lethe inquired, an edge in her voice. She had not cared for getting up so early, since she was slightly spoiled and usually slept a little later than the current time. Without waiting for an answer, she slinked into her cat form and bounded off, barely leaving time for the others to follow after her.

**XxXxXxX**

Tibarn flew with a tight expression, his jaw and fists clenched, fighting off old memories. The sun was barely rising, but he wasn't sure how long his little adventure would take today. Actually, having Mihara, Janaff, and Ulki going off to help Crimea couldn't have come a more convenient time. He listened to Mihara and Reyson as they told him of their meeting Silvan and discovering Aseria. He was surprised that Reyson had never stumbled upon it before, but even in all his years of living with the hawks, he'd rarely left the castle or even gone far from it. He liked being near his father and disliked being out in the open. The horrors of the massacre of his people still haunted him something terrible.

Spotting the small, ruined village, Tibarn had to close his eyes for a moment to collect himself. He knew Silvan would be around…it wasn't like he went much of anywhere these days. He was getting old, after all. He'd lived to see many things in his time, both good and bad. Narrowing his eyes to focus, Tibarn spotted Silvan in his usual spot, standing solemnly before a set of graves. His heart pounded heavier a few beats more in his chest before he told himself to calm down. He lowered himself until his feet touched the ground almost silently, not far behind Silvan.

"I was wondering how long it would take before you followed up," Silvan said, keeping his head bowed, as if finishing a prayer. Raising his eyes to the gravestones, he smiled ever so faintly. "Look, Yuna, Kibo. It's your troublesome boy."

Tibarn flinched at his mother and father's names, but couldn't help but look at the graves with a sorrowful longing. How he wished they had not been killed, that they were still here with him, able to see that their granddaughter had returned to him after a lifetime of distress… But he knew that he shouldn't linger in the past and just kept marching forward, though they were always in the back of his mind, just as his brother and sister were. Tibarn walked up beside Silvan and, without looking directly at him, said softly, "…I know that Mihara came by here."

"Mihara… Ah, yes." Silvan chuckled at himself. "I thought I had gone senile for a moment. I thought I had seen Trinity. The young girl's wings look just like Trinity's did. However, her personality didn't seem…well…I suppose that's a lie. Before Trinity had to grow up too fast, she had a sweet disposition, too."

Tibarn's eyes flashed as he recalled his eldest sister. "Yes, I suppose you're right." Sharing with a small laugh of his own, he added, "I haven't seen her angry yet, but I'll be sure to let you know if she is like her in that aspect, too."

Silvan patted Tibarn's shoulder and gestured. "Shall we go inside and talk?" With a nod, Tibarn followed after Silvan into his home, which held numerous books he'd collected over the years, as well as plenty of other small artifacts and trinkets. Once they made themselves comfortable in the small hut-like house, Silvan inquired, "Now…what is the real reason behind your visit?"

"I was mostly just wondering if…you told Mihara anything."

Silvan studied Tibarn's expression. He could see that not only was Tibarn slightly worried, but appeared…ashamed? "What is there to worry about, Tibarn? No, I told her nothing of great meaning. She only now knows that you had siblings. I did not tell her how they passed on, but I did tell her that I would tell the story in a few months, when I return to the castle. What is that look in your face? Why are you ashamed?"

"From the things I did… The things I had to do to survive and protect our people…" Tibarn's voice caught in his throat, sounding like a small choke. "They may have been dark times, but it just makes me feel like I became one of _them_…"

"The elites?" Silvan's eyes darkened. "Never compare yourself to them. Ever. You understand me?"

"…Yes, sir." Tibarn heaved a sigh, his wings tensing. "Still, I was young, but the number of lives I took…" He raised a hand to his face, tracing the scar that remained on his face from all those years ago. "The number of times my life was almost taken… I don't see why it is only I survived out of my family…"

Silvan nodded, understanding what Tibarn was saying. He muttered under his breath for a moment, and even Tibarn's ears didn't catch it. He then spoke louder, saying, "Trinity and Tristan both had strong wills and resolves… They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Still…I won't be corny and say that they never really left us…because you don't have to be told that, right?"

Tibarn knew Silvan was right. As long as they were gone, he never felt lonely from their absence. He was always thinking about them, even in battle, remembering the times they had fought together and had each other's backs. Not to mention, here was his own daughter, who nearly seemed like an incarnate of Trinity. His son was…too young when he died to see if he would be anything like Tristan. That was a whole other wound entirely. It just seemed like his siblings were everywhere, even in the shadows.

"As for your other worries…" Silvan's fingers tapped the table for a moment as he collected his thoughts and wording. "I would not ponder on it. Wars are ugly and they turn even the best of us into monsters. You know as well as I that even I had bloodshed in my talons. But you also know that it was necessary for changing the future we live in now. Had Solomon continued to rule, you would never have been able to be with Zelena, you would never have had children, and you probably wouldn't be alive now, myself included. He would have wiped all of our people from the face of the land." He muttered again for a moment. "My apologies. I feel as though I am rambling off topic here. My point is, the truth will be told to young Mihara sooner or later, and I doubt she would think any less of you. Rather, I believe it would give rise to more respect from her."

"…You really believe that?" Tibarn shifted his weight uncomfortably. "I just feel that… Well, I would not be able to take rejection from my own daughter at this point. She is still getting used to Tellius, to Altiaire, to everyone here, including me. I can see that she still misses wherever it was she was raised…and it makes me worry that she might leave, if she were given the opportunity."

"Nonsense." Silvan gave Tibarn an assuring smile.

"How can you be so sure?"

"She may be much like Trinity, but she is your daughter, no? That being said, she is also Zelena's child. Did Zelena not give you a chance?"

Tibarn's heart throbbed at the mere mention of his mate's name, as it always did when he longed terribly for her. He could see Silvan's point, though. Mihara had Zelena's bodily features from her hair to her face, and even her shape. Not only that, but he could sense the slight meek shyness Zelena had once possessed, along with her iron resolve when she became determined. However, he had not yet been able to discern what all she inherited from himself, save for the golden eyes that both he and his siblings inherited from his own father, Kibo. "I suppose you're right. Thank you, Silvan. You've become quite wise in your old age."

Silvan shot a dagger look at Tibarn and pointed a challenging finger at him. "King or not, I can still walk all up and down you! Smartass kid."

Tibarn laughed and held his hands up in surrender. "It's always nice visiting with you, Silvan."

"Wish the same could be said here," Silvan grumbled, though he felt the same way.

**XxXxXxX**

Soren sat in his dimly lit room, the only light coming from right beside his desk, where he sat, reading a parchment of paper. The light came from a figure of a large dog sitting on the floor, emitting a golden glow, its presence one of magic. As Soren read the paper, his eyebrow raised in curiosity and impression. _So…he was able to find others. At last. This is quite a discovery. Perhaps I should tell-… No. I swore I would not speak to the others of this. I will honor that._

He glanced at the dog, as if it were watching him intensely. However, its gaze was remaining on the paper it had brought to deliver. Soren stood and reached for a book he kept and pulled a fresh piece of paper from it, sat back down, and began to write.

**Ike,**

**I would be lying if I said I wasn't shocked that there were other forms of life across the ocean. However, for almost all of them to be laguz was an even greater shock. Even if they are momentarily allowing you to stay, don't let your guard down. There is no telling if they are a threat or not or if they are threatened by your presence. Be careful when you begin speaking of Tellius to them. There is also no telling how they would accept the information.**

**In other news, there has been an attack on a small fishing village on the northern coast a few days ago. Elincia has requested our help, not wanting to involve much of the Royal Knights since a dragon laguz was involved in this attack. Early investigations show that it was a group of rebellion soldiers against the unity of Tellius. There were rumors that they are perhaps involved in laguz slave trade, but there is no confirmation on that as of yet. We are currently at the castle, but will soon be meeting up with Ranulf and a few other laguz to go and investigate. Only myself, Mist, and Titania are here for this mission – there was a more pressing matter for the others to attend to back further southeast.**

**Mist is still struggling without you, no matter how strong she tries to be. Try and return to her as soon as you can. Remain safe overseas.**

**-Soren**

Rolling the parchment up, Soren handed it to the canine-looking creature. "Take it to him, Alondite."

Stirring from its spot, the golden beast took the paper in its mouth before vanishing in a flash of light. It became dark in the room once again, and Soren ran a hand down his face, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He had a bad feeling that this entire ordeal with the fishing village was part of something bigger than they thought. He had heard of groups of rebels forming under the leadership of two individuals. They didn't stand for much at the moment…they seemed to mostly be against laguz equality. Soren had to admit, it was hard for him, too, especially as a branded. His kind were still strongly discriminated against in the general public. There wasn't much that anyone could do about it at the present time. Still…no one dared confront him on the matter.

A soft knock came from his door, and Mist's voice carried through. "Soren? Are you awake?"

The young man stood and walked carefully to the door, opening it. His eyes adjusted once more to the brighter hallway as he focused on Mist's figure. He waited silently to see what she wanted, giving no betrayal at the information he had just obtained.

"Ranulf and the others are here. They were shown to the dining hall to get some breakfast, but said they were ready to head back out whenever we were…" She trailed off for a moment before adding, "Would you like to eat before we leave?"

"…I'll be right down."

"Okay."

Mist headed back down the halls, a slightly lighter feeling in her steps. At least Soren would join them, whether he would eat or not. She was interested about this young woman hawk that she saw with Janaff and Ulki, accompanying Ranulf and Lethe. She didn't think she'd ever seen her before. With a small giggle, she wondered if she was with one of the two hawk men. Janaff _did_ flirt an awful lot on occasion…

Entering the dining hall, she saw everyone else who would be going along to the village: the four that had just arrived, Titania, Kieran, Sylvia, Muarim, Tormod, and Giselle. Then, of course, herself and Soren. Geoffrey was originally supposed to go, but he decided to send Kieran instead, telling his second-in-command that he would be ready to leave if help was needed. She saw that the young hawk woman was sitting close to her laguz comrades and seemed slightly interested in speaking to Muarim, who was sitting across from her, Tormod on one side, Giselle on the other. Whenever Tormod addressed her, she seemed to fall a little silent and appeared to be rather awkward, but spoke more openly with Muarim. Mist made her way over to them, sitting on the other side of Tormod.

"…is as troublesome as a cub," Muarim had just finished saying. Tormod huffed indignantly while Giselle laughed in agreement with his statement. Mihara cracked a small smile of her own, having found some amusement in his words.

"Hello, there," Mist said quickly with a smile. "I'm Mist. May I ask your name?"

There was a stretch of silence before Mihara quietly said, "I am Mihara."

"It's nice to meet you." When Mihara returned her words softly once more, she felt the urge to ask her question, but wasn't sure if it'd be considered rude to her. She most definitely didn't want to offend her. Still, what if she was?! It would be a momentous occasion! "Are you with one of them?"

Ulki choked rather loudly on the water he'd just sipped, now struggling to get it down the proper way. Janaff's fist slammed on the table, emphasizing his hysteric laughter. Mihara just paled and sat, still as a statue. Janaff managed to get out between his insane laughs, "Pfft! As _if_!"

Mihara snapped her eyes at him and glared. With a threat hidden in her raised eyebrow and shimmering golden eyes, she demanded, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Janaff shook his head and his hands, struggling to say that wasn't what he meant. "I mean it as in you're _Tibarn's_ daughter!"

There was silence from all but those three, Janaff still laughing, Ulki coughing, and Mihara sighing. There were a few suppressed chuckles from Ranulf, though the smirk of amusement was evident on his face. The others comprehended this statement, and Tormod was first to find his voice. "_Tibarn's_ daughter?! How?!"

Ranulf leaned forward, his elbows propped up on the table. "Well, you see, Tormod…when a man and woman love each other-"

Sylvia took this moment to toss a bread roll at the feline with a chiding tone. "Now, now, not in front of the kid. Such dirty language is not fitting around breakfast. Now _dinner_…"

Tormod flushed bright red. "Sh-shut up! I know _that_, Ranulf, but what I _meant_ was, how come we never knew?!"

Muarim held his hand out to calm Tormod and make it quieter once again as Janaff's laughs began to die, his face slightly red from lack of air. Directed more at Mihara, he said, "I thought your scent was similar to his. However, it is no place of ours to ask questions. I trust you would tell us if it was important enough, even though we just met. Agreed?"

Mihara nodded, thankful for Muarim's wise words. She was then properly introduced to everyone else around the table, and she knew she would struggle for a little bit keeping names and faces straight. After all, she'd never met so many new people at once and in one day. Soren joined them downstairs, though he touched no food, and soon, they decided that the sooner they left, the sooner they would return. All of the beorc were given a steed to ride, even Tormod, who strongly disliked anything but walking.

They journeyed out of the castle and were soon on their way. When Mihara inquired how far the village was, Giselle told her it was probably around an hour's ride by horseback. Mihara thought grumpily that she could probably get there in fifteen or twenty minutes if she were in her full form, but so that they didn't leave all the beorc behind, she flew alongside them in her half-form. It was anything but quiet due to the one named Sylvia. She constantly bombarded Mihara with odd questions like how she ever managed to untangle her hair after flying, whether or not if she liked eggs, and if she could pet her wings when they stopped.

Mihara concluded that Sylvia was very strange.

When Sylvia moved on to speaking with Kieran, Giselle spoke up. "Sorry about my baby sis… We aren't sure if it was the first or second time she was dropped on her head that made her this way."

Tormod quickly hid an amused snort with an exaggerated, violent cough. Sylvia shot an icy look at both the mage and her sister before huffing and muttering darkly, "I'll have a comeback later, just you wait…"

Titania offered a smile to the young hawk woman. "Please don't mind them. They're always like this."

Janaff added, "Yeahhh, they're all just really _pushy_…"

"Watch it, featherbrain," the sisters simultaneously hissed.

"See?!"

Ulki flew a little closer to Mihara to say softly, "They're just trying to make you feel welcome. There is nothing shy about many of our acquaintances, so…just don't be afraid of them."

Something about Ulki's ever sensible words always made her feel a bit more reassured. Still, she gave him a silent nod that told him she would make an effort to make friends with them.

The remainder of their time towards the village mellowed out a little bit since they all knew they were there to do a job. As they drew closer, they saw that when the wind blew, it carried on its current ashes from buildings that had burned to the ground. A young boy saw the approach of the group and ran to the houses, shouting that help had arrived. People piled out of their houses, relief washing over their stressed, worried, and fearful faces. As they neared the entrance, Mihara was surprised to hear Mist command, "Titania, Soren. If you two would, see if you can get a more accurate account on what happened. I'll see to the wounded."

"Right away," replied Titania as Soren gave an equal nod of his head.

"Sylvia and I shall accompany you two!" Kieran declared, his eyes set with a seaming anger at the sight of the village. There were many damaged houses with scorch marks on the walls, holes in the roofs, and blood coloring the dirt.

Janaff turned toward Mihara and requested, "Would you mind going with Mist? Just keep an eye on her. The rest of us will take a look around, look for clues and such."

Ranulf gave Mihara a quick glance as she agreed to do as Janaff said, and even though Mihara could see Mist's own strong determination to help in her eyes, she smiled when she saw that she would have company. Mist dismounted her horse and walked to the nearest person, asking gently, "Do you have any injured?"

"Oh, why yes, ma'am… The most injured one is in my house – here, please follow me." It was a more middle-aged man, his hair just beginning to show signs of graying. His house had pieces of the roof missing and a smoldering wall that had a tiny crater in its side, which Mihara took note of. Though it was slightly sickening to think, someone must have been thrown against the wall for it to leave that particular shape. She wondered if it was the injured person inside.

Once they were shown in, the man left to let Mist do her job. She moved closer and saw that it was a young man, laying on his back in a bed, a rag on his forehead, his face raging with fever. The sun was shining in through the hole in the roof, but thankfully, it only shone on his feet. His grown brown hair was matted with sweat as he seemed to be struggling for breath as he slept restlessly. Mist cautiously went to his side and knelt on the floor, holding a healing staff in her hands. "…If you can hear me, I'm going to try and help you." The man did not stir. Mist thought for a moment before twisting her head around to look at Mihara. "Could you hold my staff for a moment?"

"Sure." Mihara came and took the object from her, holding it as though it were delicate enough to shatter. Mist then leaned forward and investigated the man's body to see if he had any visible wounds. After all, the man who owned the house said that he was injured. She took hold of the bottom of his white shirt and carefully lifted it. The higher she lifted it, the deeper her frown lines became evident in her face. His entire ribcage was badly bruised, nearly making it seem like his whole torso was colored purple and blue. On his left side, there were deep gashes made by something obviously large. Mihara held her breath, wondering if this was done by the dragon laguz they mentioned had been here. With a whiff of the air, she concluded it must have been. She could smell that a laguz had been here, but she could only assume it was the dragon since she'd never met one before. A tiny shiver went down her spine. If they could do this easily, they would be fearsome opponents. Mist asked for her staff back, and when Mihara handed it to her, she turned her head away, not quite wanting to watch the magic of the beorc stitch his body back together.

Spotting a ragged-looking jacket on the floor next to the bed, she assumed it to be his. Sitting atop it was an odd, dark-colored book. For some reason, she felt like she shouldn't touch it. As Mist began casting magic, she gestured to the book and inquired quietly, "What is that?"

Mist kept her magic flowing, allowing it to ease his bruising and try and seal up his infected cuts, as she turned to see what Mihara was talking about. A glance of knowing passed through her, but this knowledge of the man didn't scare her. After all, Pelleas had been a kind and caring person. "…That means he is a necromancer. He can use dark magic."

"…Does that mean he is dangerous?"

"Not necessarily. Only few people possess the gift to be necromancers. I knew one once, and he was a very kind man. I won't deny that it's kind of…scary to see it in action, but that can't be helped." The man began to shift as his breathing began to even out. Mist motioned for Mihara to move closer. "If he wakes up suddenly, he might need to be held down."

Nodding, Mihara began to hover over him, waiting to see if his motions would bring him to consciousness. Just as predicted, the man's eyes suddenly opened wide, rage flashing through them. Mihara yelped as he flew up, causing their heads to collide painfully. She snatched his wrists and tried forcing him back down on the bed, not wanting to be rough and hurt him, but Mist's magic must work wonders to see him move in such a way without even flinching. "Calm down! We're trying to help you," she told him, struggling to keep him still. Despite the fact he still looked a little feverish and had just woken, he was startling strong.

"Jessa! Where is Jessa?!" he screamed, his eyes darting around, trying to locate the person the name belonged to.

Mist attempted at a more soothing method. "Please, calm down. Tell us, who is Jessa?"

William seemed to snap to, because he stopped fighting against Mihara's hold and lay still. He recalled what had happened. The throbbing in his body and head as he'd been tossed like a sack of flour into the side of a house by a dragon… Seeing Jessa being taken away against her will… Him, unable to do anything… "No… That's right… She's…" As if just seeing Mihara for the first time, he looked at her with confusion. "Who are you?"

"We asked your name first," Mihara retorted, releasing his wrists and crossing her arms, seeming as though she had taken the assault on her head personally.

Mist stood and held out a hand. "We're here to help. I'm Mist of the Greil Mercenaries, and this is Mihara. Please tell us who you are."

William slowly sat up, rubbing his head wearily. "I'm… My name is William… Please, tell me-" He took another look at Mihara and then saw her unique red wings, and his eyes widened. "Wait! Are you a hawk laguz?!"

"Err…Yes…"

"Please tell me…have you seen a woman – she's a hawk laguz, too – but she has black wings and a-a white body… Her name is Jessa."

Mihara shook her head guiltily. Though she had not been in Altiaire long, she had never seen such an unusual sight. "No, I'm sorry."

Mist feared that William would pass out again from the answer he'd received from Mihara. When he remained conscious, she placed an assuring hand on his shoulder. "How about you give us the whole story, okay?"

"…Okay."

**XxXxXxX**

**I'm sorry if it seems like this chapter was a) fast-paced and/or b) somewhat dull, but at least it wasn't entirely a filler! You learned Tibarn's parent's names, William met Mihara and the others, Sylvia is back to petting wings…well, not quite yet, but the thoughts are present! I meant for Ranulf to have a bigger part, but not quite yet… Sorry, Ranulf… Love you all the same! As I do my readers and reviewers! Thanks for all the uplifting reviews! (Let's keep em coming! =D) Hope to see you again soon!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hello again, everyone. Dah-dah-dah-duuum! Here is chapter six already- hold your applause! Oh, the new ideas are just flowing out of my brain to my fingertips so fast, I go back and read them and go, "Good job, brain and fingers!"**

**Sorry, no action this chapter, but just wait for it! Next chapter will have some, promise! I am working on it right now. However, you do get to more than likely figure out for sure who Jessa is being held captive with…! Here you go…commence!**

**XxXxXxX**

_**Chapter 6**_

"…**I agree, my sister. I believe she will fetch quite a penny." The man crossed his arms, looking at the woman laguz in the tiny cell before him and his sister. She smirked and gave an approving nod, glad her brother saw what she was saying.**

**Jessa began to stir, groaning from the throbbing headache she had. She raised her hand to her temples to rub them and ease the pain when she suddenly remembered where she was. She had been stolen away from William's side by these warriors that were also haters of laguz… They constantly called her sub-human and taunted her from the other side of the bars. The cell was too small for her to transform and tear them all to pieces for what they had done. Not to mention, she was pretty sure whatever water they gave her was drugged.**

**The woman gave her a smile of pure evil and leaned closer to the bars. "Are you ready for your big day, sub-human?"**

**Jessa got a shiver running down her spine at the way she said that. Obviously, whatever plans these people had for her weren't good. She didn't even give them the luxury of a response.**

"**Now, now, that won't do. You **_**have**_** to speak… You aren't like our other little prize…"**

**The woman stepped out of the way, and Jessa looked across from her cell with fear, not sure what she was about to see. In the cell across the way, there was a young man, another laguz with wings… His primary feathers were a light brown color while his secondary wings were black. He had messy, unkept black hair, and his clothes that were probably once a fresh color were faded beige and ragged. Jessa nearly wanted to sob. She could sense the pain emitting from this young man…along with the hatred. Most of all, the loss of hope. Jessa could only wonder how long he had been captive by these people.**

"**You see, he hasn't spoken in so long…but it's okay. Just by being here, he serves his purpose." The woman's voice was nearly a purr. "Today, you will decide your fate."**

"**My…fate…?" she whispered in return, her heart pounding heavily in her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.**

"**Whether you will be sold into slavery or kept here as a pet for our little friend."**

**XxXxXxX**

William jerked harshly enough in his sleep to pull him to the world of the living, his heart racing, sweat beading on his forehead. When he remembered that he was in the small village, he calmed a little. His body didn't feel as wrecked today as it did the previous day, when Mist had healed him. She'd ordered him to rest, and against his urge to leave right away and search for Jessa, he obeyed her and was momentarily glad he did. He sat up slowly, just in case. Feeling like he would be able to manage alright, he nodded to himself and gave a long exhale. He reached for his tome and jacket before standing. He could hear two voices carrying in from near outside the door, one of which he recognized from yesterday: that young hawk woman he'd collided heads with. He walked towards the door and decided then and there to try and contain his worry for Jessa…he would find her soon enough and kill the bastards that had kidnapped her, that was for sure.

"…Hey, Ranulf?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you tell me about the dragons? We don't have any laguz like that from where I'm from…" Mihara trailed off. She and Ranulf were sitting on opposite sides of the door leading into the house where William had been sleeping. Several times in the night, he'd cried out and screamed in his sleep, pulling Mihara out of her dreamland of home. In case he started thrashing and hurting himself, she'd decided to just remain nearby. Ranulf, too, had been woken by him and kept her company. "I mean…there were the horse laguz that I lived with… I suppose they're all really powerful, compared to your size."

"Size isn't everything," Ranulf pointed out, slightly sarcastic and defensive, as if he'd taken it personally offensively.

"Well, yes, but… I don't know. You'd have to see them." Mihara pulled her knees to her chest. "There were the swans, which are very similar to the herons… At least, from what I could tell from Reyson and Leanne."

"First name basis already? Well, well, you're getting along nicely…"

Mihara's cheeks heated up. "Wha-what's that supposed to mean?!"

Ranulf grinned and chuckled, leaning his head against the wall. "Nothing. I'm just picking on you. Please, continue."

She sniffed indignantly, pausing, not sure if she should listen to him or not. Muttering under her breath, she sighed. "Fine. The last ones were the otters… Obviously, they're very agile in both land and water… They're pretty vicious, actually. Especially when snakes are involved…"

"Snakes…?"

"Oh, nothing! Just a little… Nothing." Mihara gave a sheepish, knowing laugh. "But please, tell me about the dragons."

Ranulf thought for a minute, trying to decide what exactly to tell her. He doubted she wanted an entire history lesson, such as Dheginsea being involved with the whole beginning of the story of the "dark goddess" that had once been portrayed as Yune. He figured he could just give her a quick breakdown. "Well…their first ruler…also their first previous one – his son is king now – he made their country isolated. Dragons have terrible strength and are very hard to fight on your own. Their leader thought that they had so much power as a tribe that they could wipe Tellius off the map, should they be provoked too much…which he was probably right about." Mihara assumed from his use of past tense that the king had somehow died. But for him to be their first leader…he must've been very old… As if reading her thoughts, he continued with, "Dragons can live to an insane age beyond that of any laguz, save herons. I guess they have the same lifespan. They can get to be…pretty big, shall we say."

Mihara tried recalling some information she'd read in a book about mythical types of dragons, not laguz types. "Can they breathe fire?"

Ranulf shuddered. His tribe and fire didn't agree. "They sure can." His cat ears flicked back as he caught the approaching sound of William's feet. "It appears as though our friend is awake."

Mihara stood as William opened the door, slightly relieved that he was moving with more ease. "Are you feeling better, William?"

The necromancer seemed dazed as he stared directly ahead of him, taking in that it was probably early afternoon. Mihara frowned, wondering why he hadn't answered. Ranulf cleared his throat and said, "Uh…William?"

William blinked and looked between the two of them. "Sorry, what?"

Before Mihara could retort to his actions, Janaff came flying up to the trio, Tormod following along behind him. "Lady Mihara, Ranulf. I think we might know where our scaly friend went. There's a trail that this little band left behind, leading towards Daein. It might be worth our time checking it out."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ranulf clapped his hands together and rubbed them, ready to get a move on.

William caught this and took a step forward. "Please, allow me to go with you."

Tormod sent a glare towards the man, having heard that he was a necromancer. "Why should we do that?"

Mihara quickly relayed the fact that Jessa was a woman he'd been traveling with and was also a laguz. According to William, these people kidnapped her, and he had no idea where they were taking her or what they would do to her. Tormod's expression sobered rather quickly. "…Are you able to withstand this, though? You were injured, right?"

"That kind young woman healed me. She did a rather remarkable job, I believe." William set his jaw. "Please let me come. I will not slow you down."

"We do not have a spare horse for you to ride," Ranulf pointed out. "And no offense, but us laguz aren't that keen on giving out free rides."

Lethe quickly approached the group, her tail swishing back and forth, her ears pinned back, displaying her agitation. "Are we leaving, or what? Mist and Kieran said they would leave this up to us. They are going to remain behind for now to fix the village and report to Elincia."

"I do not need a horse. I will not be walking, either." At the skeptical looks, he assured them, "Trust me. I did not cross the ocean from an island on Jessa's back. I know better than to ask that," he mumbled. If Jessa did not offer him a ride, though she had, it was wise of him not to assume that it was okay. There was a different level of pride held by the laguz than beorc had.

Mihara shook her head and flapped her wings, flying up beside Janaff. "Whatever. If he can follow along without falling behind, I don't care. Obviously, this girl means a lot to him."

"…Thank you."

Ranulf gave Lethe a grin as he shifted into his full form. "See? All under control. We were coming."

Lethe gave him a good-natured roll of her eyes, ignoring all the stares they were receiving as all the laguz transformed. Janaff and Mihara flew to where Ulki was awaiting them, Ranulf and Lethe following on the ground. William exhaled nice and slow before summoning spirits to help lift him into the air. _Strength, don't fail me now._ Once he was airborne, he followed after the hawks, keeping his eyes closed for a moment, not wanting to see the ground if he were to suddenly lose his strength and plummet below. He could hear the horrified whispers of the villagers below, but he paid no heed. Necromancers were seen as evil sorcerers, but he wasn't and had no need to explain himself to others. As soon as he felt like he would be okay, he opened his eyes and saw the surprised, yet amused looks that the hawks were giving him just as they turned and began flying as swiftly as they could, the three cat laguz close behind them, Tormod and Giselle atop Muarim's back. With a small smirk, he shot forward, determined to keep up with them. _Jessa, I'm coming…_

Back down in the village, Sylvia grumbled, "Why don't we get to go? I didn't even get to _poke_ her wings, much less get to _pet_ them… The others never let me! I was _this _close!"

Kieran cast a sideways glance at her. "Because we need to-"

"I mean, _Giselle_ gets to go! Just 'cause her boyfriend is one of the laguz," she muttered darkly.

"It isn't like they're riding off to get themselves killed," Mist chimed in, a smile on her face at Sylvia's typical actions. "They'll be back. You'll get another chance."

"I better…"

**XxXxXxX**

Nailah glanced about the forest, a calming feeling washing over her. After a long journey across the desert with her people, they had taken a rest in Daein, thanks to Micaiah, but had soon pushed on so that they may arrive to the Serenes Forest. Now that they were here, Nailah understood why Rafiel had so terribly missed the forest, along with his family. It was beautiful, even in the early fall. She could hear her people whispering and murmuring about the forest, overwhelmed by its beauty. After all, until extremely recently, they had only ever seen sand and a few desert plants. Never before had they seen such greenery. Volug walked alongside his queen and spoke slowly, practicing his use of modern tongue, "I believe…everyone will like…like it here."

"I believe so, too." Nailah nodded approvingly. "I think we're almost there… Oh, and good job on progressing with your speech, Volug!" The Wolf Queen smiled, giving him encouragement.

"Thank you," he replied, a ghost of a smile on his lips as well.

As they continued on, they could hear the scampering of animals fleeing from the wolves' presence. With a smirk, Nailah thought hunting here would be quite enjoyable. Naturally, she was sure that the herons would request they hunt either in another forest or at the very edge of Serenes. It would be difficult at first, but she figured the least they could do was respect the herons' wishes.

Their progress through the forest was quite swift, and they soon heard a song ringing in the air, being sung by a mixture of male and female voices. Many of the wolves stopped momentarily to listen, moved by the sweet serenade they could now hear, never having met the herons before. Nailah and Volug spotted them first, seeing the trio of siblings standing atop an old, eroded altar that was once probably a beautiful spectacle to behold. All of the three, Rafiel, Reyson, and Leanne, had their eyes closed and hands extended, their voices carrying strongly, emitting a strange magic in the air. As Rafiel went to take a breath, he opened his eyes and spotted the approaching wolf pack. Cutting his part of the galdr off short, he called, "Queen Nailah!"

Reyson and Leanne also stopped their singing and gave a welcoming smile to their friends, watching as Rafiel went down to them. As they spoke, Leanne gave her other brother a quick glance. "…Are you okay?" she asked him in the ancient tongue.

Reyson gave her a puzzling look. "…Yes, I am fine. Why?"

Leanne giggled into her hand and shook her head. "Oh, no reason. I just thought I'd make sure. You've been awful quiet since we got back yesterday morning."

"…No, I haven't."

"Oh, yes, you have been. Not to mention, you spent a lot of time with Mihara…"

Reyson raised an eyebrow. "Because Janaff and Ulki asked me to accompany her."

Leanne's eyes widened for just a moment before she turned her back to Reyson. "I see!"

Reyson walked up to his sister's side, giving her a look of curiosity. "What is going on, Leanne?"

"Absolutely nothing!" Leanne ran down the altar to go and greet their guests who would now share the forest with them, leaving Reyson alone to look down after her, puzzling why she was acting so weird.

**XxXxXxX**

Footsteps echoed in the quiet room, barely even audible. Jessa had her face hidden in her knees as they were held tightly up to her chest by her arms. She didn't want to look up into the face of her doom. However, as she inhaled, she recognized the scent of the person who was now standing in front of her cell. Slowly raising her head, she looked at the man in his eyes, his crimson red eyes are bright as his red hair. Attached to his more dark, mellowed red shirt was a black cape that flowed down to the back of his knees, hiding his wings. Completing his look were black pants that were tucked into his laced black boots. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at the young woman. Her eyes were red and slightly puffed from crying softly once she had been left alone, and even when she tried to speak to the male hawk across from her, she received no answer. His grief was too overflowing. She wished she knew how he'd gotten there. Perhaps it was in the same manner as she. The dragon laguz spoke softly, "If it is any condolence…this is nothing personal."

Jessa narrowed her eyes in rage. She pushed herself off the floor and grabbed the bars for support. "Nothing…personal?" she echoed, her voice hoarse. "How is that supposed to make me feel any better?! If it's nothing personal, how do you justify kidnapping me?! Hurting William?! Leaving me to these _humans_…"

"…They are paying me."

Jessa felt a pit in her stomach. "…You're…a mercenary?" She knew then, that there was no hope for her. Mercenaries only worked for those who had the highest bid. She had no money to bargain with, nor did William. Not only that, but he was a dragon laguz. He was powerful. At the same time…she sensed something about him that made her sad. She pushed it aside, momentarily feeling no sorrow for this man.

He nodded in response to her question and turned his back to her, now facing the other prisoner. The young man did not even lift his head to know where the dragon was looking – he instantly flinched and curled up into a ball. Pity rushed through Jessa. They must have beaten this poor man down hard and broken his spirit to make him like this. She choked out, "Please…just let us out… Give us a chance…"

There came a chuckle from the dragon laguz as he turned back to face her. "You think _he_ would run? Look at him. He is too scared to even look at me. Even given the opportunity, he wouldn't run. He has tried. He has failed. Do you know the number of times he's nearly been killed?" He walked closer to her cell, his voice lowering. "You wouldn't make it out of here without help."

"Then help us," she whispered pleadingly.

He scoffed and shook his head. _No. Now is not the time for this. It is not the right time to be emotional about this. You are not a laguz brother right now, you are a mercenary. Act like one._ "The only way I would help you is if you made your case strong enough to convince me." He reached through the bars and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him directly in his intimidating eyes. "Until then, you shall be moved. Your petty human friend will not find you so easily. Nor will they find _him_."

She backed away out of his reach, looking at his back as he left the room. Looking through her bars to her fellow captive, she reached her arm through, feeling like she could touch him even though there were still feet of space between them. Holding tight to the bars, she said, "Please, tell me…what have they done to you?"

The young man shifted his position, and Jessa took it as progress. He was at least acknowledging her existence at the moment. He raised his head, though he didn't look at her. His broken, tenor voice spoke as soft as a whispering dream, "…Everything."

Taking a closer look, Jessa could see now the faint scars that littered his arms, hinting that he had been a prisoner of these people for a long time. It made her legs shake to think of what all they had done to him. She then asked, "Could you at least tell me your name?"

"I would if I knew what it was…"

This reply stunned Jessa into silence. This poor guy had been a prisoner so long, he didn't even remember or know his own name? A few tears surfaced from her eyes and ran down her cheek. The sad part was, he barely even sounded upset about it…like it was just a normal part of life. "Do you have anything I could call you?"

He shook his head and rested it on his knees again, falling back into silence. He hated it when Stasik and Karoline – those sadistic sibling bastards – brought new laguz captives in that asked so many questions. He hated not knowing anything about himself, he hated trying to remember. It always gave him a severe headache. The only time it didn't was when he had fuzzy dreams that didn't make sense, yet he had a feeling that they were important. _Thinking of which…_ He curled up on the floor, his back to his cellmate, closed his eyes, and attempted at getting some sleep.

**XxXxXxX ****Flashback**** XxXxXxX**

"**Aww, c'mon, Dad! Can't we fly just a little bit higher?!" a young six-year-old boy pleaded to Tibarn, his messy black hair flapping everywhere in the wind, his golden eyes wide with excitement. His small wings struggled to keep him flying steady.**

**Tibarn smiled and, flapping with more ease than his son, nodded. "Alright, Shoen. Just a little higher."**

"**Alright! Hey, Dad, watch this!" Shoen kicked his legs a little as he threw himself into a small back flip, causing him to lose several feet of altitude. As Tibarn began to make a reach for him to ensure he didn't fall, Shoen recovered and flew up beside his father. "Isn't that the **_**coolest**_** thing you ever saw?!"**

"**It **_**is**_**," Tibarn assured him, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. "I doubt even I could do that."**

"**You, Dad? But you can do **_**anything**_**!" Shoen protested, crossing his arms, not buying it.**

"**Now, now, that isn't entirely true. There's plenty of things I can't do."**

"**Like what?"**

_**Saving my family. Saving your mother. Saving your sister. If there's one thing I can't do, it's save people.**_** Tibarn gave Shoen a momentarily somber look as these thoughts ran through his head. Then, with a half smirk, he said, "For starters, your trick. How about you show me again? I bet I'd have to practice a lot to make sure I get it right."**

**Satisfied with the answer, the little hawk boy fought to do another back flip. Once he accomplished it, he laughed triumphant and carefree, unaware of the pain Tibarn felt. He watched his son with a mixture of pride, joy, and grief. **_**I swear to you that I will protect you with my life, Shoen. You are my last link to Zelena, your sister, your aunt and uncles…to happiness. If you were to ever have anything happen to you…I couldn't guarantee what would happen to me. I would probably lose whatever will I have left to live. I've had too much taken from me in this life. I can't lose you, too.**_

**XxXxXxX ****End Flashback**** XxXxXxX**

Tibarn loosed a heavy sigh as he gazed at the single…"family" portrait he had painted. It was nearly right before Mihara was kidnapped…Shoen was only a young boy. Zelena wasn't there. Therefore, it couldn't be called a real family portrait. His blood boiled, thinking of why Zelena hadn't been there, but it faded when he thought of how he'd failed. He'd failed himself, Shoen, Zelena, Mihara…

Thankfully, the portrait hung in his room only, so no one could hear the strangled growling sob that escaped from his throat. He grabbed the closest object, an old book, and chucked it as hard as he could to the wall, where it fell to the floor, laid open. His hands clenched into fists, and he then slammed his right fist into the wall, forming a small dent in that spot. It wasn't the only one. There were several areas like that in his room, where he had given in to his anger and grief and struck something. He kept his fist there, against the wall as he leaned against it.

Why did he allow himself to have hope? Mihara had been found, alive. That was a miracle in itself, considering she hadn't been killed, as he'd thought for twenty-six long years. He had never felt a giant gaping hole in his chest from thinking of Shoen as dead. He'd never believed his son had been killed, though he had vanished during an attack on Kilvas. He had never been found, but neither had his body.

He stood upright again and walked towards his open balcony, looking up at the night sky. The stars shone brightly, twinkling at him as he gazed at them. Looking straight up, he gave a dry laugh. "I've always had some star of misfortune over me, haven't I?" He then found himself wondering if Janaff and Ulki were keeping Mihara safe. _…Yes, they must be. I have absolutely no reason to not trust them to. They would give their lives to protect her, I know that. I just can't help but worry…_ He chuckled again and muttered out loud, "Now I'm acting fatherly… I don't even know how to do that anymore, Zelena. If you were here, you'd know exactly what to do, I'm sure of it…"

He sat on the floor of the balcony just before leaning and lying on his back. "You'd be so proud, too… Not only is she alive, but she's a strong young woman. Whoever raised her obviously helped her along. All of her fighting skills, though…they're self-taught. She really is impressive…and charming, whether she knows it or not." A smile crept to his lips. "Part of it is because she wasn't raised here, I feel. She's shy, but she's stubborn. Two of our best qualities, huh?" He closed his eyes and relaxed. "If only you and Shoen were with us…"

**XxXxXxX**

**Yes, yes, I know…I'm having too much fun showing the pain Tibarn is going through/has gone through in his life. It just helps me feel like I connect with his character/personality more! I'm ready for sibling interactions…I've been drawing so many pictures – realistic and chibi – of Mihara and Shoen in the past three days alone, it isn't even funny… Except for the chibi I drew where Mihara was giving Shoen a noogie. I just laughed hysterically when it was finished and my mom didn't get it. Oh well.**

**Thanks for all your reviews! Let's have a review party! Bring your reviews and friends who leave reviews! See you all next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter seven, as requested! Hey, whether you all believe it or not, I had this all typed up and ready before I even posted chapter six! Exciting, yeah?! There's hope for me! Thank you all as always for the reviews… You're all the best readers/reviewers an authoress could ask for…! (tears of joy inserted here)**

**Just a quick note, I saw that when I posted chapter 6, that whole part with Reyson and Leanne talking...well, it should have all been underlined, which is what I use to signal the ancient language, but for whatever reason, it didn't show up that way... Just a spastic moment, I suppose.**

**Hey, look! What's that?! Action!**

**XxXxXxX**

_**Chapter 7**_

Mihara looked around her surroundings, keeping her wings tucked in tightly to her back, as if that would help lessen the looks they received from the beorc residents of this relatively small Daein city. The looks they shot towards her and her companions made her fear slightly for her safety. She had been told by Janaff that the beorc here were more than likely not as friendly as whatever ones that may have lived with her in her other country. He also told her that there had been wars started between beorc and laguz simply because of their existences, which Mihara didn't entirely understand until she saw these loathsome looks she and the others were getting. From out of nowhere, Giselle came up to her side and linked an arm with her, a happy-go-lucky smile on her face. "Don't worry. Nothing will happen with all of us. Besides, the people of Daein are slowly changing. They are the country with the deepest hatred of laguz."

"There are too many of us, anyway," Tormod said, as if he were a laguz himself. "They know they have no chance of winning, even if they were able to ambush us."

Muarim shushed Tormod with a slight scolding tone. "There is no need to try and provoke them."

"I'm not," the redhead muttered under his breath, though he obeyed and fell silent.

Ranulf's tail flicked back and forth and a small smirk danced upon his lips, adrenaline already rushing in his veins. "No doubt about it. This place stinks of dragon."

Lethe looked back towards William, who was walking along at the back of the group. "Do you have anything with your woman's scent on it?"

When there was silence, all heads turned back to William, who was staring blankly into space, though his feet were moving. Several of the group shared quickly glances of confusion, wondering if William had heard Lethe. Ranulf cleared his throat loudly which snapped the beorc out of it. He blinked several times before looking at them. "Oh, yes, sorry, what?"

Lethe rubbed the bridge of her nose with irritation, mumbling something about this guy being hopeless. Ulki decided to stop waiting and kept walking ahead, keeping his ears open for any activity that could slip by them that could hold valuable information. Mihara repeated the question for Lethe, slightly worried about what the feline might do should she have to repeat herself. "Do you have anything with Jessa's scent?"

William thought for a moment, wondering if she had touched anything of his. There had been the satchel with their items, but that had been destroyed in the attack. After brainstorming for a minute, he gave a single shake. "No, I don't think I do… But I feel that if we find the dragon, we'll find her."

"Nothing to do but keep an eye out, then." Janaff chuckled like it were an inside joke. "Leave that to me."

Giselle unlinked her arm from Mihara's and migrated back to Muarim, walking as close to him as she could. Mihara thought it was nice that in a land full of laguz hate, she was obviously so happy to be at Muarim's side. She looked around the city some more, noticing that it was odd that most of the people that seemed to live here were men. She had seen very few women. Not thinking anything of it, she didn't bother pointing it out. Looking ahead to where Ulki was, she saw that he stopped and tilted his head upward ever so slightly. With an unusually loud and harsh call, he whipped around and shouted, "Move!"

Not giving it a second thought, Mihara, Janaff, and William shot into the air while Ranulf, Lethe, Muarim, Giselle, and Tormod ran swiftly into an alleyway. Not but moments later, arrows littered the streets. If not for Ulki's warning, they might have all been slain then and there. The laguz shifted into their full forms, those in the air able to see that the majority of the little city had men, clad in armor, running into the streets, weapons drawn. _"What the hell is going on?!"_ Mihara called to Janaff.

"_Ambush! These people must be the ones who attacked the village."_

"_Are we going to fight them?"_

"_Kill or be killed!" _was his reply as he dodged an arrow, screamed a battle cry, and shot down at the one responsible for loosing it.

With quick glances, Mihara took in the situation, her blood and heart racing, aching for battle, though she had never been in a real one before. Ranulf, Lethe, and Muarim were waiting for an opportunity to charge from the alley and attack, but archers and sages were keeping them at bay and unable to move. Ulki and Janaff seemed to be aiming mostly for the archers at the moment, and for good reason. Tormod was reading from his tome, but was having trouble accurately aiming his attacks thanks his blocked view from the enemies. Ready and waiting in Giselle's hands were daggers that could either be thrown or used for close-range combat, her expression now one of seriousness, rather than her usual smile. Beside Mihara, William opened his necromancer tome and began reading. Not but a few moments later, a black orb appeared by a trio of fire sages, engulfing them. Only five seconds later, the orb disappeared, and the men were dead.

"**Only few people possess the gift to be necromancers. I knew one once, and he was a very kind man. I won't deny that it's kind of…scary to see it in action, but that can't be helped."**

_Mist had it right. That is terrifying magic. At the same time, Janaff is right. I'm not about to die here._

Without any more thinking, Mihara charged down into the streets, her razor sharp talons extended, piercing the body of a sage and a lance-wielding man. At first, the sickening sound of the shredding flesh sickened Mihara, but she soon pushed the thought aside and used her adrenaline rush to continue on. She threw the lifeless bodies at a man that was covered entirely in armor, resulting in knocking him down. This gave the feline laguz a moment to leap from the alley, pouncing onto the nearest enemy, their claws extracted, and their teeth showing in roars of rage. Mihara took care to steer out of the way of both William's and Tormod's magic, not wanting to get wrapped up in it. She didn't even realize that her vision began taking a shade of red, like the only thing she could see was blood. She passed by Janaff and Ulki a few times, swooping down to rip apart the beorc below.

A pain suddenly ripped throughout her body, and she faintly heard someone call her name. She slammed down to the cobblestone street, sending some bits of rock flying. Momentarily dazed, Mihara got to her feet and shook her head to clear her blurry vision. _So that's what it feels like to be attacked with wind magic_, she thought darkly, looking for the assailant. Behind her, she heard a scream of pain. Turning quickly, she saw a body hit the ground, Ranulf's claws pulling from his back, blood dripping from them. _"Are you okay?"_ Ranulf inquired with concern.

She nodded and was about to thank him when she spotted the sage that had unleashed the wind upon her, about to do so again. Spreading her wings and screeching, rage consumed her. Only having to flap her wings four times, she shrieked as wrapped her talons about his body, _"Don't you __**dare **__touch me!" _The man whimpered, then screamed as Mihara flew high into the air with him, then released him, letting his body shatter as he hit the ground.

Quickly, the beorc numbers diminished until the remaining few began to retreat. The feline laguz, the three beorc, and Janaff and Ulki stood in the street, watching their retreat. Mihara's muscles twitched, demanding that she chase them down and rip them all apart. She nearly did, until Lethe stood between them. _"Don't. I know you want to, but they are running with their tails between their legs. Leave them be."_

With those words, Mihara's vision began to clear. Following the other's leads, she reverted back to her half form, feeling slightly overwhelmed. She had never tasted battle like this before. Never had she shed blood or been so viciously attacked or lost control of herself. It was a scary feeling…but it also felt natural. She looked at the street that ran with blood and felt no regret. Why? Was this what it meant to be a laguz on Tellius? To kill those who attacked you without talking it through? Then again, she supposed there hadn't been much need…they'd unleashed the first attack, and it was to kill. They hadn't wanted to talk.

"…Now what?" Giselle inquired, wiping the blood from her daggers.

"We search. See if there are any innocents here," Ranulf ordered, already making a move for a nearby house. "There's too much blood in the air to properly smell anything."

They broke off into little groups, and after Janaff and Ulki were assured that Mihara was not severely wounded, the daughter of Tibarn found herself walking alongside Ranulf. It was mostly silent as they looked into houses, searching for any who may have been there against their will; namely, Jessa. It wasn't until Mihara felt woozy for a split second, and stumbled into a doorway that Ranulf looked back at her, alarm in his eyes. "You okay?"

Mihara offered a small chuckle as she regained her balance. "I'm fine. Just a little more tired than I thought I would be."

"Here." Ranulf dug into a pocket and pulled out a small red vial with an equally red liquid sloshing around inside of it. "It's an energy potion for laguz. Take just a single drop. It'll make you feel better."

Mihara hesitantly took it from his warm hands. She took the lid off and carefully tilted it back, aimed over her mouth. As soon as she felt a drop hit her tongue, she put the vial upright again, capping it securely. It tasted like some type of honey to her, but it soothed her body, loosed her muscles, and literally restored her lost energy. Handing it back to Ranulf with a smile, she said, "Thank you."

He returned her smile with his own grin, put the vial back into his pocket for safekeeping, and turned his attention back to the house. Once they deemed that nothing was there and began to go to the next house, Mihara added, "Thanks also for…looking out for me out there."

"No thanks necessary," he replied instantly, turning his head back to look at her with his emerald green eye. "Not only would Tibarn skin each of us alive if anything happened to you, you're also a friend, right?"

"A…friend?" Mihara tested the word, wondering if Ranulf really meant it. The only ones that had really called her friend yet were Ginia, Leanne, and the Hawk King's "eyes" and "ears".

"Sure. If you _want_ to be my friend, that is."

Mihara sensed from Ranulf's tone that he was half teasing her. Still, she found herself nodding. "I would like that very much."

"Rule one of being a friend of mine: No acting uptight!" Ranulf winked at her, his ears perked straight up.

Mihara's cheeks flushed lightly, her wings tensing and rustling. "Wha- What's that supposed to mean?! I do _not_ act uptight!"

"_Now _you aren't."

Mihara was about to shoot her own choice words at the feline when she heard Janaff call her name. She walked out into the street, peering farther down than where they were. After inquiring what Janaff wanted, he called back at her, "You haven't been in this house yet, have you?"

Walking their direction, hearing Ranulf following her, she shook her head slowly after thinking for a moment. They hadn't made it that far yet. She saw something flash in Janaff's eyes…a mixture of confusion and frustration? "Why?"

"This entire place smells…like you." Janaff scratched his head, stepping out of the way for Mihara to enter. She frowned deeply. Janaff was right. The entire house had her scent. Ulki was inside, walking cautiously on the floor. When he stepped on a certain area, he came to a standstill. William came running up, the others not far behind, wondering if they had located Jessa. Ulki backed up a few steps, then kicked a rug out of the way, revealing a small door.

"A cellar?" Janaff guessed quietly as he went to help Ulki lift it up. "It stinks strongly of that dragon, too. There's another laguz scent here…it might be your friend," he directed at William.

Ulki walked down there first, and he soon said that it was okay to come down, but only about three others could. Assuming that meant it was small, Mihara, William, and Ranulf went down inside it after Ulki. It was drastically colder down inside, but there was another reason why Mihara shuddered visibly. It was a small cellar, all right, but the concrete walls had iron bars connected to them, creating two small cells, one on each side of the room. William veered off to the right and gave a strangled growl. Entering the small cell, he picked something off the ground: Jessa's necklace. Holding it tight, he whispered, "…She was here."

Ulki also knelt in the opposite cell, picking up a single light brown feather. He gazed at it with intensity, seeming like he knew the owner of it. He silently showed it to William, who shook his head, denying that it was Jessa's. Jessa had black wings. Ranulf extended his hand and took hold of the feather tenderly. He turned it a few times in his hand before sniffing it. "…This is it. This is what smells so much like you, Mihara."

"What can that mean?" she demanded as she accepted the feather from him when he held it out to her. She examined it closely, wondering if it held a clue of some sort.

Ulki didn't dare look at her. _This needs attention immediately… Tibarn needs to be informed._ Aloud, he said, "If Jessa and…whoever this is…have been moved, we should leave this to a recon individual. We should return to Altiaire."

Mihara began to protest, but Ranulf interrupted her, saying, "Who are you thinking? Volke? Bastian?"

"Perhaps Bastian moreso than Volke."

"Understood. Let's go, then."

The men filed out of the cellar, but Mihara remained another moment, looking at the cell where the feather had been. She saw on the floor that there were dried blood stains, along with several other feathers. A grim expression came over her as she thought that whoever had been held there had obviously gone through pain. The cells were maybe three feet by three feet at most. Glancing at the feather again, she asked again silently, _…What does this mean?_

**XxXxXxX Three Days Later XxXxXxX**

The group had made a stop in Crimea, accompanying Muarim, Giselle, and Tormod back to the castle to report to both Geoffrey and Elincia personally before going on their way. William announced that he wanted to accompany the hawks to their home country, hoping that maybe if Jessa were to escape, she would make her way straight there. They then made a straight shot for Gallia, where Mihara had then met the Lion King personally. While his appearances made him an intimidating man, she found quickly that he had a large heart and was actually rather kind and considerate. They spoke with him for a period of time before he ordered Ranulf to go with the hawks on to Altiaire, telling him privately of something he needed to speak to Tibarn about on Skrimir's behalf. Mihara felt slightly amused at Ranulf's nearly childish reaction to flying, but the longer she looked at him, the more she saw that he was truly unnerved by flying. Something told her, it went more deep than simply being a land creature. His eyes remained closed most of the time, and his breathing was unsteady most of the time. She wanted to ask him about it, but she figured it wasn't the best time.

When they arrived at the palace, Ginia was there to greet them, a smile of relief on her face. "Ah, Lady Mihara! Sir Janaff, Sir Ulki, and oh! Sir Ranulf! This is a surprise. It is such a reassurance that you have returned safely." Spotting William, she was introduced to him and welcomed him just as warmly, apparently not fazed by the sight of his necromancer book.

"Thank you, Ginia. Please tell me, where is His Majesty?" Janaff's tone told her it was truly urgent.

The raven woman paused for a moment, taking into consideration his seriousness. "He is up in his room still, I believe. I heard that several days ago, he…" She lowered her voice. "He had another one of his…episodes. He's hardly been seen since you have all left."

Janaff put a hand on her shoulder in thanks and assurance. Looking back at Ulki, the two men moved off, heading straight for Tibarn's room. Mihara and Ranulf began to follow, but Ginia stopped them. "No, no, that won't do! You must come eat! Surely, it's been a while since you last ate, hasn't it? Come, come."

The trio, William included, allowed Ginia to lead them to the food, where they silently ate their fill, hardly any words even exchanged with Ginia. Ranulf seemed to still be checking to make sure his feet were on solid ground, and Mihara just felt like she shouldn't speak to him yet. William looked around the castle half-heartedly, as if he were only half-present. Ginia left them alone for a short while before returning and telling Mihara that, should she wish to clean up, she had left a new set of clothes on her bed. Mihara hadn't thought about it much. It _had_ been a few days since she'd properly cleaned up, though. Maybe a shower was just what she needed.

She told Ranulf and William that they could wait up in her room, but only out on her balcony. With a chuckle, Ranulf agreed to obey her and followed her up the stairs to her room. William spotted Ginia and had told them that he would just head to bed, and he walked off with her. Mihara shot Ranulf a playful glare once they reached her room and waited until he walked out onto the balcony before grabbing the clothes Ginia had set out and retreating into the bathroom. With closer examination, Mihara saw it was yet another dress. Sighing and setting it aside, she made a mental note to talk with Ginia about that. Dresses were not her style.

She took a quick shower, rinsing off and putting nice oil in her hair to help make it shiny and smell nice again. Slipping into the dress, she observed that it was another nice, yet simple form-fitting red dress with a cowl top. Small, thin straps held it up, and she took the sash that was around the waist and tied a small bow in the back. She cracked the door open, making sure Ranulf was still out on the balcony, and he was, as he'd promised. Laughing, she granted him permission to enter the room again and come out of the chilly air. He gave her an exaggerated shiver, then commented that winter would soon be upon them. Mihara listened as he spoke, but she worked on running a comb through her long hair, fighting through the tangles, taking notice that the feline was watching with fascination. Mihara raised an eyebrow at him and inquired, "Am I that interesting to watch?"

"A little bit," he admitted. "I'm not used to seeing laguz with such long hair, save for the herons. Especially when you fly all the time. Doesn't that get annoying, having to untangle it?" He tilted his head to continue watching as a kitten would when it sees something interesting.

"It's not too bad. My hair might be thick, but it isn't fine. It doesn't tangle as easily as you think it might. Besides, I tend to either keep it braided or I put lots of hair ties in it." Mihara ran the comb through it a few more times, then, deeming it was untangled enough, set it aside. She sat in silence for a few moments, thoughts running through her head, mostly questions. "Ranulf…?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you know what happened…to my mother and brother?"

The fact that Ranulf froze stiff did not go by unnoticed by the Hawk Princess. She kept her gaze on him, waiting for a response. He shook his head and replied, "That's not my place to say."

"So you _do_ know."

"Well, yes, but-"

"Please tell me," she pleaded. "You don't have to tell T-" she stopped short for a moment, not entirely sure how to address her father, seeing as she hadn't been in this situation as of yet. "…You don't have to tell him, and I won't tell him you told me."

Ranulf struggled internally. He could see that it was something that had been weighing heavily on her mind, but he really felt that it was more Tibarn's place to tell her. Then again, perhaps after finding that feather had set this off. Laguz typically only shared scent if they were family. She was probably trying to draw some type of conclusion to the question of the scent. He sighed heavily and gestured for her to scoot over. Sliding to make room for him, Mihara watched him with a tiny glimmer of hope as he sat down. She had been wondering for a while about this, since she had noticed that she'd seen pictures of her mother and of her brother, but never in the same portrait. Her only conclusion would be that she had issues with childbirth. After all, it wasn't uncommon if a woman were sick for her to have complications during or after pregnancy. Ranulf ran a hand through his hair and gave her a threatening look. "Tibarn better not find out."

Giving an agreeing nod, Mihara sat back a little farther on her bed, making herself more comfortable. Ranulf propped a single foot up on the edge of the bed, but made no more motion after that. "Alright, then… Listen carefully. I don't want to repeat any more of this than I have to. I know Tibarn and…knew Zelena, your mother, more than most think. That's a separate story, but I was actually very close with them at one point. I remember you when you were just a little thing, crawling around and causing all sorts of trouble. I then remember when Zelena became pregnant again, with your brother. They were both so happy. Then, when Zelena was nearing her due date, you were stolen."

Mihara absorbed this as Ranulf took a breath of air. She could tell this was paining him to think about and retell. Once he began to resume, she focused on his words again. "As you can assume, this tore Zelena to pieces and drove Tibarn to insane rage. He could tell that it was someone from the dragon tribe that had kidnapped you. He shared this information with Zelena just as he took off for Goldoa – their country. Against her better judgment, she followed him. Now, at her stage of pregnancy, she was really risking not only her life, but Shoen's as well. From what I've been told, flying can cause some…issues, to put it simply and lightly." Ranulf's eyes flashed with sadness as he thought of what came next. "Now, at this time, the beorc were very jumpy towards laguz. Tibarn was racing across the ocean, whereas Zelena was struggling along behind, unable to transform. Tibarn flew over part of the Serenes Forest, where he heard some beorc stirring below, being made alert thanks to his presence. He ignored it and kept on, seeing the figure of the dragon in the distance.

"By time Tibarn had caught up to him, he had made a pact with the goddess Ashera, and both you and he vanished. Tibarn searched for clues, but found none. He was flying back to Phoenicis – the name the country had before Altiaire – when he heard Zelena's screams. The beorc group had seen her and shot her in the wing with an arrow. When Tibarn reached them, Zelena had taken a bad fall to the ground, and he slaughtered them immediately, no questions asked. At that point, he was closest to Goldoa for aid. As I told you before, they didn't get involved in other's affairs. Tibarn brought Zelena there for treatment, and the only reason he wasn't turned away was because of Zelena being pregnant. The dragons treat childbirth as a pure, sacred thing. They can go from decades or centuries without having any children born in their society. So, they treated Zelena as best they could. In the middle of fixing up her wing, she went into labor.

"Long story short, between her injuries and the fall, she was in poor shape and didn't have enough strength. She delivered Shoen safely, but soon slipped away… As for Shoen, he grew up to be…six, I believe. He was visiting King Naesala of Kilvas – the old country of ravens – when there was an attack. Shoen just mysteriously disappeared. Tibarn believes he never died, but there was never an explanation for it…" Ranulf glanced back at Mihara, who had tears rolling down her cheeks. He tensed and shifted around to face her. "I'm… I'm sorry, Mihara… I didn't mean to…"

As if just realizing she was crying, Mihara cursed herself and quickly ran her hands along her eyes, wiping the tears away. That was one thing Mihara didn't do: cry in front of others. This was now twice that Ranulf had seen her tears. Shaking her head, she mumbled, "No, it's just… Ugh, I'm sorry…"

Ranulf brushed the back of his hand against her cheek, wiping away a tear she had missed. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I'm just… I've never been this _weak_," she said, clearing her throat. "I had no idea that…she'd been killed by beorc…or that Shoen had been-" stopping, she wasn't sure what word to use again. He hadn't been confirmed dead… To her, it seemed more like he had been kidnapped, too. "Not only that, but…_he's_ gone through so much pain in his life… How does he even…keep going?"

"Hey." Ranulf lightly tapped her chin, encouraging her to look at him as she controlled her breathing, stopping her watering eyes. "You have nothing to be sorry for," he repeated. "You are _not_ weak. As for Tibarn…he's had his ups and downs, but he has you now. You'll understand if he tries spoiling you on occasion, but you'll also understand why he may grow to teach you things harshly. You're alright." He gave her a faint smile and a nod. "Are you alright enough to go and join them in Tibarn's room?"

Taking a deep breath, Mihara made sure her eyes were good and dry. "…Yeah. I'm okay."

In Tibarn's room, a few doors down, the Hawk King was sitting on his unmade bed, holding the discovered feather shakily in his hands. "…Is this some kind of sick joke?"

"No, Tibarn." Janaff's face was set stiff, a far cry from his usual joking self. The room was dark and slightly torn apart, as had been hinted by Ginia. Tibarn had been known to give in to his anger and grow increasingly irritated, but at least he took it out on objects in his room, rather than harming himself. Most people were not aware of this knowledge, since it was not common. Tibarn kept himself strong for his people, not allowing other tidbits to cloud his judgment.

"There is a possibility." Ulki crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, keeping a level head. "Shoen might be alive." The words were barely even a whisper. It wasn't just Tibarn and Zelena that had been torn apart when they lost not only Mihara, but Shoen as well. Naturally, the country as a whole grieved, but Janaff and Ulki also felt a connection that they had formed with the children. They had been occasionally forced to babysit, and more often, bring the young ones back to their parents when they were found causing trouble in the castle, usually hidden by a giggle and a smile.

A dark silence fell in the room while they all contemplated the statement. Tibarn held tight to the feather and asked, "Does Mihara know?"

Janaff shook his head after a moment of thinking. "She couldn't make any sense of it. We haven't told her anything, either."

Ulki narrowed his eyes at Tibarn, already predicting what he was going to say. "Do you believe it is a good idea to keep her in the dark?"

While Janaff mumbled something under his breath about raining bodies, Tibarn replied, "For now. I do not want to give her false hope."

"We have Bastian investigating the new location-"

_Bam!_

Tibarn and Janaff both looked at Ulki with solid shock, the ever-silent hawk having slammed his fist against the wall, a cross look upon his face. "…Give _her_ false hope? If anyone in this country, rather, the continent, doesn't need false hope…it's you, Tibarn." He then stormed from the room, even his footsteps now making sound.

When the door slammed shut, both the remaining hawks released a breath they'd apparently been holding. Janaff said softly, "…You know, he's right, Tibarn."

"I… I know." Tibarn gave a weak nod. He stood and set the feather aside and recomposed himself. "In the meantime, while Bastian is looking into this, we are going to have a gathering."

"…Gathering?"

"Yes. In a week's time. Here. Before the first snow falls."

"Can I ask why?"

Looking at his friend with a smirk, the king said, "It's been a while, don't you think? Perhaps a small party is just what we need."

**XxXxXxX**

**See, I promised you action, and I delivered! Mihara has a little bit of a bloodthirsty, vengeful side, doesn't she…? Well, I suppose we all already knew that or had a feeling, but it has been confirmed! Don't worry, she'll have her fair share of battles… (dramatic music)**

**Yes, I know, the tale of Zelena has already been told, compared to before, but believe me, it's relevant! The party… Oh, the party! I am so excited to write about it again… I haven't quite decided if it'll be next chapter or the chapter after… Maybe a mixture? Oh, guess you'll just have to wait and see! See you next time!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Da-da-da-dum! Welcome to chapter eight! Man, these words are just pouring out of me. Doesn't that make you all happy?! Well…at the minimum, it makes me happy…! Thanks, as always, for all of the reviews!**

**XxXxXxX**

_**Chapter 8**_

"A _what_?" Mihara blinked several times, comprehending what Tibarn had just said to both her and Ranulf.

The cat laguz chuckled and shook his head. "So you were already plotting this. That was the reason Skrimir sent me here, to talk to you about it. He also told me to tell you he would be in attendance."

Tibarn absorbed that small bit of information and thought for a moment. "Excellent. I have sent out messengers to speak to the other rulers. Even to Kurthnaga, should he so choose to dwell a little amongst us."

"Good idea. I know he didn't entire agree with Dheginsea and his methods, but after the whole…incident, I think he saw light of the reasons. Still, he is definitely more sociable than his father. I suppose we have the Maiden of Dawn to thank for that."

Mihara zoned out when they started throwing out names she didn't entirely recognize. She figured by the description that Kurthnaga might be part of the dragon nation. Dhe-whoever must have been the first dragon ruler Ranulf mentioned to her before. This Maiden of Dawn held no meaning to her whatsoever. However, when Tibarn looked her direction, she snapped back to it. "…why I told you about it. I imagine Ginia will be more than happy to accommodate a customized dress for you."

"It's formal?"

Tibarn chuckled at the sarcastic disappointed tone Mihara used. "Yes, it is. After all, all of the nation's leaders will be here, along with their close friends and subjects that wish to come."

"Even in late fall?" she muttered, though she knew that the ballroom she had discovered one day in her wanderings about the castle was of a grand size, and could fit a large amount of people within. She could already hear Ginia's squeals about making a dress for her. "…Fine."

"Great." Tibarn flashed a quick smile and left it at that. He was walking away when he suddenly turned around, recalling something he'd meant to ask. "Oh, Mihara… Would you mind sparring me tomorrow?"

"That sounds challenging," she replied with a smirk. "Sure thing."

Satisfied with the answer, Tibarn nodded and continued on his way. Ranulf clapped once before practically leaning on Mihara, inquiring in her ear, "Well, allow me to take care of your funeral arrangements. Would you like anyone to say a few words? Any singing? Say that word, and it will be done!"

Mihara shoved Ranulf off of her with a laugh. "What are you talking about? I understand he's the king, but I'm still his daughter!"

Ranulf crossed his arms, a looking crossing his face as though he hadn't thought of that. "Hmm…you have a point. You are a lucky one, Lady Mihara!"

"Rule number one of being my friend: No calling me "Lady"!" Mihara gave a small, light punch on the feline's arm, to which he pouted and rubbed the offended area.

Giving a bow, he agreed to the terms. "Well, I guess this wouldn't be my first time seeing you fight, now. I find it kind of strange that he didn't ask how you were doing."

Looking down the now-empty hallway, Mihara gave a shrug before saying, "…I don't know, don't you think he seemed kind of…off?"

"You got me. I suppose he was a little overly-happy, but who knows. It _is_ late," Ranulf pointed out. "It must be nearing midnight."

"I wouldn't say quite that late…"

"Well, he was in the room for a while with Janaff. When they came out, I didn't see Ulki. I guess he went off elsewhere."

"…I guess so."

Only a few more words were exchanged before Ranulf bid Mihara a good night, making his way off to the guest room he always occupied when he visited Altiaire. Mihara didn't quite feel like turning in for the night, yet. She turned on heel and began walking, not having any particular destination in mind. Passing by a few night owls, she bid them all a good evening as they did for her. She could feel a twitch in her neck every time she heard someone call her "Lady". _I'll probably never get used to it_.

Her footsteps echoed in the hallways, and she found herself passing by a room that had its door slightly cracked, a fire burning inside. It appeared to be a type of lounge room. Curiosity coming over her, Mihara pushed it open and peered inside, not seeing anyone within. Stepping in, she made her way quietly over to the fire, staring at the flames, enjoying its warmth. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she turned away from the fire, looking around in the room. Then, she spotted an outline of a figure standing in the far left corner. Realizing who it was, she released a quiet breath. "Oh, Ulki. If you want, I can leave-"

"It's fine. I am impressed you saw me, though." Stepping more into the light of the fire, she could see the twinkle of amusement in his eyes. "You have sharp eyes."

She offered a small grin as her thanks, and then stepped off to the side, allowing for more room for Ulki to stand near the fire. Mihara wanted to ask him why he hadn't been with the others earlier, but figured he had his reasons. He was a man of few words, but when he spoke, his words carried much meaning. Mihara liked him. She felt like he was one who she could talk to about anything and he could give her guidance and keep secrets. It wasn't like she had any, not at the moment, at least, but if it ever arose, she guessed he'd be a good one to confide in. She caught out of the corner of her eye, after she'd returned her attention to the fire, that he gave her a quick sideways glance. In a way, she had a feeling like he wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure if he should. Then again, what if she was wrong? She would feel rather dumb and blame her insight, she figured… "Is there…something on your mind?"

"You could say that," he replied. "It is more that…I have yet to complete wrap my mind around the fact that you are…here. Alive."

Mihara hadn't expected that to be what he would say, and had nothing to retort with. "…Oh…," was the best she could come up with. Then, she thought for a few seconds, and told him, "Well, I still have trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that all of you exist." She gave a dry laugh and added, "After twenty-six years, I was just at…the snapping point, I suppose you could say. Ranulf saw that moment…"

Ulki gave an understanding nod, not looking her direction, but rather, was looking back at the fire. "I understand that…it must have been lonely."

"It was," she admitted. "Then, to be thrown into all of this… It's pretty overwhelming, but I think I'm starting to accept it."

"That's good." Silence stretched on for several seconds, each one feeling like a single minute. "I suppose all I am trying to say is…" With a ghost of a grin, he reached over and rubbed her still-damp head. "It's nice to have our troublemaker back."

Not even protesting the fact that he was messing her hair up, she gave him an appalled look. "Was I really _like_ that?!"

"As I recall, you'd wandered right into the middle of a meeting between the bird nations… I was the one who had to carry you out of there." Ulki chuckled softly, reliving the moment when a small child with stubs for wings waltzed into a meeting on her hands and knees. "But not before Lord Lorazieh – Reyson and Leanne's father – picked you up. I think he found attachment with you quickly. He told Tibarn and the Raven King that you were already waiting to learn how to be a queen."

Mihara flushed at the memory, feeling like she had caused trouble if she had done that as an infant. However, it faded when a question surfaced to her mind. "How do the laguz here choose a successor? Back in Staltone, where I was raised, it was automatically passed to the present leader's eldest child."

Ulki raised an eyebrow, stepped backwards, and sat on one of the sofas in the room. "Interesting. That is how the beorc here choose their next ruler. However, the laguz here will fight for it. When the time comes, two possibilities happen. Either the laguz subjects choose the next ruler democratically based on strength; or if there are multiple candidates, they will fight for it."

"To the death?" Mihara looked at him with worry, wondering if she should be on her toes around others.

"Rarely. A good ruler knows when to spare a life, after all." Ulki leaned forward, propping his arms on his knees. "However…you should always be careful. The history of our country is not one of poetry and flowery words. It is one of blood, and Tibarn _does_ have many foes. None within the area of the castle would dare lay a finger on you, but further out along the coast, there are those who would seek to harm you." He paused for a moment. "I have no doubt after our battle the other day that you can handle yourself, but you should still be cautious."

Mihara nodded slowly, remembering Silvan that she had met, how he said he would be at the castle in a few months' time to relay the stories Altiaire had to offer. Judging from Ulki's words, she would most definitely have to be there for that. "If I asked about it… The history, I mean… You wouldn't tell me, would you?"

Ulki shook his head. "There is none better to tell that tale than Silvan. I heard you met him." With an affirming nod, Ulki added, "He is a master storyteller."

"How long have you and Janaff been at…Dad's side?"

Ulki looked up at Mihara, a faint smile on his lips, deciding whether or not he should call her out on her awkward use of the fatherly title. Choosing to leave it alone, he answered, "All our lives. Now…," he stood and patted her head once more, this time receiving a small protest, "if I heard correctly, and I believe I always do, you have a spar tomorrow. You better get some rest."

As Mihara fixed her hair, she muttered, "You really _do_ hear well, don't you…?"

"That I do," he assured her, gesturing that she could leave the room first. "After you, Lady Mihara."

"…Thanks, Ulki."

"Anytime. I am here to listen."

**XxXxXxX**

"Oh, my goodness, I would be simply _honored_, Lady Mihara!" Ginia exclaimed, taking hold of Mihara's hands and doing a small jump, a smile plastered on her face. "All you need to do is give me details, and I will make you the loveliest dress, and all the men will swoon and fall head over heels for you!"

Sighing with defeat, Mihara said, "Ginia… I'm going to leave this all up to you. I'm no good at this."

"What?!" Her eyes widened with both shock and joy. "At least tell me a color you would like!"

Giving it some serious thought, Mihara paused, looking up at the ceiling of her room, as though it held answers for her. "I guess…red?"

Ginia raised an eyebrow, and accompanying it was a sly smirk. "Well, well, well, Lady Mihara…quite a sexy choice of color, if I do say so myself… It shall be done!" She placed her hands on Mihara's shoulders, pushing her from the room. "Now, don't be late for your match against His Majesty! Good luck!"

As the door slammed behind her, Mihara sighed, a small smile on her lips. Ginia was definitely quite a ball of energy, despite the fact that she was-… _Wait…how old __**is**__ Ginia? Something tells me that she's maybe in her…thirties?_

Seeing that it was an insignificant detail, Mihara pushed it from her mind and walked on down the halls, noticing that they were relatively empty, which she found to be curious. Normally, the hawks and ravens were all in abundant groups, wandering about the halls. When she listened, she could hear a small commotion outside. Pondering if something odd was going on, she quickened her pace. She went out the side, to the gardens, saw that a group had gathered, and when they noticed her presence, they turned and offered her smiles. Clearing a pathway for her, she hesitantly made her way through until she came to Tibarn, who was awaiting her arrival at the head of the crowd. "What in the world…?" she began to inquire, but Tibarn shrugged.

"Apparently someone told someone else that we were going to spar, and well…it's a little hard for secrets to remain secrets here." Tibarn seemingly shot a look in Ranulf's direction, who was standing with Janaff, Ulki, and surprisingly, William, but the cat laguz just grinned sheepishly and tilted his head as if to say, "Who? Me?"

"They aren't going to go away either, are they?" She glanced over her shoulder, her discomfort growing. She disliked being in the view of a large group of people. At least within Keenan's herd, everyone minded their own business and paid her no attention.

"The great Hawk Princess, scared of a little crowd?" Janaff called teasingly, but visible shuddered when she gave him a glare that mirrored her father's.

Tibarn laughed as he shifted into his full form. With a single beat of his wings, he took off into the air, trying to decide on a good altitude. When he'd chosen, he looked back down, letting Mihara know he was ready when she was. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, collecting her thoughts. She knew that Tibarn wasn't the king for nothing, from his scars to his leadership, he was obviously quite the warrior. Still, she wouldn't just cower and hold back. She had never seen him in action and had no reason to fear clashing with him yet. Opening her eyes, spreading her wings, and sliding into her full form, she screeched a battle cry and took off, flying up until she was directly across from him.

Tibarn took note of her concentrated and determined look and narrowed his eyes. _Good. Show me what you know, Mihara._

They remained there for a few moments, each one waiting for the other to make the first move. Tibarn saw Mihara's muscles tense, hinting she was about to move. She aimed to go up, so Tibarn shot forward, talons extended before him. Spotting this at the last second, Mihara tucked in her legs and actually felt her own talons clack against him, giving her a reality check on how close he had really come. While he was having time turning around, Mihara flew up a little higher, her back to the sun. She relaxed her legs, shifting her talons about, getting ready to put them to use. When Tibarn turned, he winced, the bright sun shining in his eyes. _Nice move,_ he thought silently, just as Mihara tucked her wings in and dove at him.

Tibarn felt a small sting as her talons clipped his left wing, having been a little late in dodging. Without pausing, he latched his own talon onto her wing, grabbing it. They lost several feet in altitude as he forced her to a stop. With great strength, he raised her and actually threw her back up into the air. Below them, the crowd reacted with each attack with gasps or even "whew"s. The Hawk King flew at her and tackled her, dazing her for a moment as she regained her rhythmic wing beats and balance. Looking back at her father, she began to see a tiny hint of red, her adrenaline now beginning to pump.

Ranulf leaned over to ask Janaff softly, "You've sparred with her before, right?"

When the Hawk King's "eyes" nodded, William then inquired, "How good _is_ she?"

"Considering she's self-taught, she's quite good. Granted, there's a lot she could learn, but there's also some moves we could learn from her." Janaff raised his eyebrows when Mihara screeched at her father, charging at him, and actually successfully knocking him backwards a few feet. "Tibarn's obviously testing her."

"He isn't holding back quite as much as you think, though," Ulki commented quietly, observing the match with careful eyes.

"Hmm. You think?" With Ulki's nonchalant shrug, Janaff shook his head with a sigh. With a loud _clack_, he turned his gaze back upwards.

Tibarn and Mihara's talons were locked, both of them now struggling to overpower the other. It took only a moment, since Tibarn was of much greater strength than she. He pulled her towards him, and when her rhythm failed in the flapping of her wings, he used her momentum to send her into a single circle, releasing her talons when she was being captured by gravity, falling towards the ground. With her angle, she didn't have enough time to turn around and open her wings to slow her fall. Slamming into the ground a small distance away from the crowd, her collision brought about a large amount of dust, hiding her figure. Ranulf tensed and thought about going to check and make sure she was okay, but when none of the others moved, he remained still.

A blur shot out of the dust, and before Tibarn could react, he had the wind knocked out of him, and a pair of talons hooked around one of his legs. With great effort, Mihara somehow managed to toss Tibarn over her head – perhaps because she nearly equaled his size – and somersaulted in the air, releasing him with greater speed towards a nearby tree. Tibarn had momentarily lost sense of up and down, but once he grabbed his bearings, he spread his wings and slowed himself just before he reached the tree. Mihara narrowed her eyes with disappointment, having thought that her move would've definitely resulted with him crashing into the tree. Tibarn could have smirked, his own adrenaline pumping strong within him, and his eyes locked with his daughter's.

"_**Please…just listen to me…!"**_

"_**To an **_**elite**_**? I'd rather **_**die**_**."**_

Tibarn froze, suddenly unable to move. Sensing that something was troubling, Mihara found herself calming down on her own this time. The red tinted world faded, and she slowly flew to Tibarn's side, where he seemed to not be in their reality, save for the steady rhythm his wings kept to keep him airborne. Catching on that something was wrong, the crowd began to whisper, and both Janaff and Ulki stood by, waiting to see if Tibarn would snap out of it on his own. Mihara tapped his shoulder with her talon and whispered with an awkward tone, _"…Dad?"_

With a sharp intake of breath, Tibarn blinked and his eyes darted to meet Mihara's. He shook his head and sighed heavily. _"I'm sorry. I…got distracted."_

"_Do you need to rest?"_

Tibarn chuckled, though he slowed his wings until he gracefully touched the ground. _"I am no weak hatchling. I am fine."_

"_Still…"_

Reverting back into his half-form, Mihara following suit, he could see her look of concern, as well a few forming bruises from the fall she had taken, her clothes dusty. "How about we postpone this, then? I guess that even though we may heal quickly, I don't think we should both look bad for this gathering, especially since it doesn't happen very often."

Sensing the match was over, the crowd chattered eagerly about it as they dispersed, Janaff, Ulki, and Ranulf making their way over to the duo, William trailing along behind, looking around the garden, puzzling what it would look like when all the plants were in full blood. Mihara tilted her head with curiosity. "When was the last time it happened, then?"

"Not for at least thirty years," he replied quickly, obviously not placing much thought on it. With a glance at William, he said, "I heard of your tale from Janaff and Ulki, but…may I ask what your reasons were for coming here? Why not wait in Crimea, where you'd be more likely to hear about any news first?"

"This is where Jessa and I were coming to," William informed him. "She wanted to meet her kinspeople. We lived on an island off the coast of Daein, staying out of everyone's business. We were raised by a hawk laguz named Gene."

"Is that right?" Tibarn scratched his head for a moment, thinking, feeling that the name was familiar to him.

"Lady Mihara!" Ginia's voice rang from the castle, atop a balcony. Mihara dreadfully turned to see what the raven woman wanted. "Clean up at _once_ and come in here so I can measure you!"

From her dejected groan, the men chuckled. Janaff draped an arm around Mihara's shoulders and patted her head with his free hand sympathetically. "That woman is going to spoil you rotten, I swear."

"She is," Mihara agreed with a sigh.

**XxXxXxX**

"A party?!" Sylvia grinned widely and clapped her hands. Tugging on Kieran's arm, she asked repeatedly, "Do you want to go?! Can we go?! Do you want to go?!" When he began to answer her stutteringly, she snapped, "_You're going_."

Muarim chuckled, secretly thankful that Giselle didn't act as childish as her sister. Well, not often, at least. Elincia had summoned her close friends to announce the news she had received from Tibarn. The Queen of Crimea smiled at them and said, "I know that I will be in attendance. It says that anyone else I so choose may accompany me, if they wish."

"That doesn't sound very bad. Might be kind of nice," Oscar commented. "I'm sure that most of Greil Mercenaries would be happy to attend. I know that Mist took kindly to…oh, her name… Mihara! That was it. Related to Tibarn, if I heard correctly."

Tormod confirmed the information for him and added, "Her daughter."

Elincia raised an eyebrow at the information, not having heard of this before. It reminded her of her own past, where she'd been kept a secret from the public. Laguz didn't seem like they'd do such a thing, though… "Really?"

"So we're going to go?" Sylvia voiced a small squeal. "I will get her this time!"

"…Get her?" echoed Lucia with amusement, wondering who she was talking about.

"Mihara! She escaped me before I could pet her wings!"

"Pet? At first it was just touching…" Tormod frowned with confusion. At the same time, he didn't understand Sylvia's logic most of the time.

"Yes, but she didn't let me! We must skip straight to the more evil part of my plan!"

"…Let's not pluck her feathers out, okay? I don't feel like getting ripped to shreds. –By her _or_ her big daddy," Giselle declared, rolling her eyes at her little sister.

**XxXxXxX**

"My dear… are you certain of this?" Gwenna gazed upon her mate with pure concern. The two were standing together outside of the palace, looking over their herd. Aislyn was standing nearby, by was doing her best not to be nosy and listen in to their conversation.

The proud Horse Lord raised his head and gave Gwenna a stern and unwavering gaze. "I am certain. Aislyn and I will go and investigate. Xavier will be ready to come to you, should anything happen." From his tone, he hinted that nothing _should_ go wrong, but as of late, there were many unpredictable things occurring. "We will not be gone long."

"…I understand. Just promise something, if you could." When Keenan gave her his undivided attention, she returned it with a sad smile. "If Mihara is happy, leave her be. If Ike's words hold true, she might have found a place where she truly belongs."

Keenan took her words into consideration. She had a point. Mihara had been acting more distant over the past year, often wandering off by herself and leaving for entire days on end, though she always returned to aid Aislyn with their duties. She was never disloyal to Keenan and was always friendly with everyone, including the otters and swans. Still, she had never found much of a family with the swans; they were far too different. If there were others like her on this other continent, she might have found her sense of purpose, belonging, maybe even a family. "I promise, Gwenna."

Gwenna gave Keenan a tight hug and begged him to be careful. Ike had told them many things and was openly honest about all of it. He had mentioned that some beorc on Tellius were not as welcoming to laguz, though the people were slowly shifting towards acceptance. When the two released each other and Keenan began to turn away, Gwenna called, "Keep Aislyn safe as well!" She received no answer, but knew her mate had heard her. There was no need for her to tell him that, though. He would protect Aislyn as if she were their own foal.

Aislyn fell in step with Keenan, not saying a word. Both had cloaks on with hoods so that they may hide their identities. They made their way to the backside of the palace, where Ike was awaiting their arrival, his sword, Ragnell, drawn. "You have decided, then?"

"We will go," Keenan declared, Aislyn nodding in agreement beside him.

"…Alright." Ike took a deep breath and held tight to both of his swords. "Once you are there, I cannot guarantee that I'll have put you in the right location. This is a lot harder than it looks. Make sure to keep your cloaks on at all times, mostly because there are no horse laguz on Tellius. People wouldn't know what to think. If you do not land in a place with lots of bird laguz, just find a nice-looking group of beorc and ask them the way to Altiaire."

"Altiaire," Aislyn repeated, making sure she had the name memorized.

"Right. Okay…good luck, you guys." A golden light formed around Ragnell's edge. Ike then raised the sword above his head, allowing the light to build and become even more intense. Once he deemed it ready, he aimed it at Keenan and Aislyn as they pulled their hoods over their heads. The light shot forward and engulfed the two, and in mere seconds, they vanished. Ike breathed heavily and collapsed to his knees, catching his breath. Looking towards the sky, he whispered, "Keep up with them, Yune."

**XxXxXxX**

**This concludes this chapter! I feel like before, when Mihara was chatty, she would get along more with Janaff. This time, she is more quiet and shy, so I feel like she would get along a little better with Ulki in the beginning. Doesn't it just warm your heart to see a softer side of Ulki?!**

**As for the words that Tibarn thought of while he was sparring with Mihara…some of you might know where that's from. At the same time, probably not! If my old readers/reviewers recall, I am in the process of writing a story called Successor, which is the story of how Tibarn became the king of Phoenicis. In it, he obviously had to meet Zelena, riiight? I'll leave the rest to your imagination!**

**Okay, I'm done ranting now. Please drop a review in the pretty, little convenient box down below! See you all next time!**


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